Enemy of my Enemy
by Rose Of Doom
Summary: The war between races started forty years ago. Now, Sasori Akasuna joins the war but soon discovers that your enemy isn't usually who you think it is and race doesn't necessarily show where your loyalties lie. Eventual SasoDei, KakuHidan, KisaIta. Rated for violence, language and Yaoi
1. Chapter 1

_**Yeah, I'm sorry guys, I wanted to finish at least one of my other stories before I started to upload this one but I just couldn't wait...^^' How to Make a Puppet is being edited so in the meantime you can read the start of this one! :D Aren't I a nice person!lol Special thanks to Chillybean for reading through this first chapter :D I wuv yoo lots! *gives a chibi Deidara and Sasori* Anyway, enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the alien planet and it's people (Which will explain why they have such a wierd name!^^')**_

* * *

Almost forty years had passed since the day Earth came into contact with the first group of Sonda from the planet Sondarsta. The beautiful and intelligent creatures of the foreign planet had intrigued and sparked the curiosity of the human race from the start. No one who was alive to see that day could forget it.

* * *

_The space stations had picked up the foreign vessel a few hours ago. After notifying the White House, everyone who was anyone was fighting their way towards the centre of Washington DC. The excitement and bustle was noticed and pretty soon camera crews and news teams had gotten tipoffs or were simply going in hopes of a huge scoop._

_And they got one._

_0800 Hours GMT in the Middle of Washington DC, a rather large ship touched down on the Earth's soil, the landing gear elegantly unfolding from the main body of the ship itself. The space ship looked like a giant mutated aeroplane. The body was large and circular, with smaller wings that mounted huge engines._

_Everyone stood their ground, either out of fear or curiosity. A hissing sound could be heard as a hatch opened in the bottom of the craft. A set of steps came down and a light shined from within._

_Everyone watched as five sets of boots made their way down, followed by delicate slim legs, holding up what looked like leather clad bodies, and finally the entirety of the visitors was seen._

_They were taller than an average human with slender builds and delicate features. Their faces were rather feline in quality, sporting large, slanted eyes with slit like pupils, flattened noses and angular jaws. Their ears were set slightly higher on their heads and could swivel around and flatten against their skulls and looked like furless sheep ears. All in all, they were an attractive race quite different from the human race._

_They looked around inquisitively as they walked down, almost shyly. A lot of people backed away from the strange creatures. One small boy ran forward much to his mother's distress. He stopped in front of the tallest alien and grinned._

"_You're pretty!" he said proudly, pointing up at him. The alien lent down and looked the child over. He looked back to the woman who looked positively terrified._

"_We are residents the planet of Sondarsta," he told the child, "Which planet are we on child?"_

_The little boy grinned and cuddled his toy._

"_This is Earth mister!" he giggled, "We are humans! We are nice, promise!"_

_The alien nodded and stood up, calling to his companions in a series of clicks and almost songlike noises. The language resembled a dolphin mixed with small birds. The child scurried back to his mother as the President of the United States came forward and spoke with the aliens._

"_I speak for the human race," the President said proudly, "What is your business on Earth?"_

_The alien's ears twitched a little and swivelled._

"_We wish to ally ourselves with you," he replied, "We would like to trade and learn from you."_

* * *

Since that day, the Sonda and the human race flourished by learning from each other's knowledge, lifestyles and resources. Humans became more technologically advanced and were able to resolve problems such as global warming and the oil shortages.

The Sonda were introduced to the arts such as film, music, books, dance and art. They were a race of logical beings and creativity was often frowned upon and oppressed. They viewed things for their use rather than their beauty.

Everything was fine for ten years with humans and Sonda working side by side. The future looked bright and no one expected what was to come.

There were a few humans who saw the Sonda as a threat either to their businesses, their wallets or their families. These people came together and murdered a group of Sonda.

This action caused wide spread outrage throughout the entire planet of Sondarsta. They cried out for vengeance and war was declared between the two races. The entire Earth's military was moved together to fight.

* * *

Sasori Akasuna never liked waiting. He hated it with a burning passion. He was currently stuck in a small office belonging to his soon to be new commanding officer. He sighed a little and began to skim over what his instructors had written in his personal documents.

He was a qualified pilot and also talented with computer hacking. He graduated top of his classes and had achieved top marks in all previous examinations. However, this was his first opportunity to get into the field. He smirked a little at the prospect.

The door swung open and he looked up a little startled to see a large man with…blue skin. He was dressed in a captain's uniform and had a friendly grin on his face, revealing sharp pointed teeth.

"Sorry I'm late kid, had to stop my second in commander from killing a rookie!" he said cheerfully, setting himself down in his high back office chair.

"So you're the new pilot," he said, taking the red head's file. He flicked through it, looking over things of interest and a smirk appearing on his face. He looked up at the young male and snapped the file shut.

"So you graduated top of the class a year early," he said casually, "But you've got no combat experience?"

Sasori shrugged.

"Nope, this is my first opportunity," he replied, "I can take care of myself though."

Kisame nodded and held out a hand.

"Welcome aboard kid," he said with a grin, "Come on, I want you to meet my personal team."

Sasori nodded and walked down the metallic corridor of the ship, listening to the clinking of his boots against the metal grating covering up the long thick wires and tubes that winded through the whole ship.

It was what was known as a 'mothership'. This was a large craft almost the size of a small city used to carry troops and combat ships into space and served as headquarters for the soldiers on the offensive line. It was docked at the minute to replenish supplies, switch troops and work on repairs.

"I'll let you meet the guys and then Hidan can show you to your quarters," Kisame said rounding a corner and marching towards a group of three people. The youngest looking one grinned at his approach and waved him over.

"Hey, Kisame, what's fucking up, ya blue bastard?" he called cheerfully, "Who's the fresh meat?"

Kisame smirked and clapped Sasori on the back much to his displeasure.

"This is Sasori, the new pilot," Kisame explained, "He's the new team member."

Hidan grinned and nodded, reaching out a hand to shake.

"Hidan," he said shaking the young pilot's hand, "These are Tobi and Zetsu."

Sasori turned his lazy brown gaze upon a soldier wearing an orange mask along with his standard issue uniform and a man next to him who was half black and half white. Sasori assumed they were tattoos of some kind.

"Tobi is pleased to meet Sasori! Tobi is a good boy!" the masked man said giddily. Sasori's left eye twitched slightly at the sound of the high pitched childish voice. Zetsu smirked.

"Nice to meet you **Sasori Akasuna**," he said eerily. Sasori looked slightly startled at the sound of two voices. He looked uncertainly at Kisame who laughed a little.

"Don't worry; Zetsu's a schizophrenic," he explained, "A damn good soldier though. You get used to it eventually."

Sasori nodded and followed Hidan who showed him to his room. He hoisted the duffel bag with his things higher onto his back. Hidan grinned at him.

"So you know what our fucking ship is called?" he asked casually. Sasori nodded.

"You call it Death Metal," he replied, "A rather cliché name but well earned from the number of enemy ships you've destroyed as a unit."

Hidan smirked.

"No shit!" he cackled, "Yeah you're fucking right. Those Sonda bastards are skilled flyers so we need a badass pilot for the missions we do which are pretty fucking close to their home planet. I fucking hope you're as good as the higher ups say you fucking are cause we're gonna need ya!"

Sasori smirked and nodded. Hidan snickered and pressed a panel on the wall where they had just stopped, opening up the door to a small room equipped with a bunk set into the wall, a desk and chair, and a small bathroom. Sasori dumped his duffel bag on the bed and thanked Hidan for showing him around. The silver haired male left him saying something about 'scaring rookie fuckers'. Sasori didn't want to know.

He sat down on his bed and opened his bag. Rummaging around, he found his tool kit and a small unfinished wooden puppet. He walked over to the desk and sat down beginning to carve more features into it.

* * *

A small male Sonda was running fast through the thick jungle vegetation. His long blonde hair was whipping wildly around him having come out of the ponytail he had previously kept it in, his ears flattened against his skull. His hands trembled as they clutched the dagger which was previously sheathed at his hip. His feline like eyes darted around in fear. He was tiring fast but he had to find the rebel camp.

They were his only hope of surviving.

* * *

Sasori jumped a little, scratching the surface of his puppet when his door was thrown open with a loud bang. He whipped around, ready to chew out the unfortunate soul who dared disturb him when he came face to face with a puffed out and excited looking Kisame.

"Drop what you're doing and come with me kid!" he ordered quickly, "We got an assignment and it's good news!"

Sasori nodded and stood up quickly. He followed Kisame, almost jogging because the man's strides were so long.

"What are we doing? Sasori queried.

"We got a distress call from a group we thought were dead after they were sent to Sondarsta," he explained, "We've been sent to extract them. We're gonna need a good pilot to fly in and out past the planet's defence systems."

Sasori almost paled at the suggestion Kisame was making but quickly shook his head. He had achieved a perfect score in evasive manoeuvring; he would be fine.

They stepped into a briefing room which was empty except for Hidan, Tobi and Zetsu. Sasori took his seat next to the silver haired male and they all looked at the giant projection screen which showed a grand looking man with a moustache and an eye patch.

"Captain Hoshigaki," he said tilting his head. Kisame returned the greeting.

"General," he replied smoothly.

"Alright onto the debriefing," the General said clapping his hands together, "We recently received a distress call from this location." He pointed to a map of a country in Sondarsta. "We believe it was the team we sent in a few months back to infiltrate the enemy base fifty clicks south east of their location. Whatever happened to them we don't know but your mission is to find them and bring them back home. Once they are safe on home soil, you are to take over their previous assignment. Clear?"

Kisame nodded with a toothy grin.

"Yes sir, clear!" he said standing up and motioning his team out. The mission would start once the mothership was slightly closer to the planet in a few days.

Sasori was napping in his bunk when a knock came to his door. He sat up and walked over to answer. He opened it up to Zetsu who gave him a rather creepy smirk.

"Sasori, Kisame sent us. **It's time for the mission,**" he stated. Sasori nodded and grabbed his jacket and threw it on over his muscle top. They hurried towards the weapon room and meet up with the rest of the team. Kisame grinned at them.

"Well Akasuna, ready for your first mission?" he asked mischievously. The redhead nodded and looked at the other soldiers who were arming themselves. He noticed they all chose different weaponry and none of it really looked standard issue. He asked Kisame about it.

"Well everyone on this team is a specialist so we get to pick which weapons we feel most comfortable with," he replied, "Just mooch around, we'll wait for you. Just be ready to fly in an hour."

Sasori nodded and looked around the extensive weapon collection before finally deciding on a handgun, a rifle and a sniper. He also grabbed a few grenades and a few knives to hide on his body.

He made his way towards his new team who were standing around a large spacecraft. This was Death Metal. It looked like many of the other smaller combat crafts but it wasn't the ship itself but the crew who used it, that had earned it such a grand and intimidating title. This ship's crew was infamous for the number of dangerous missions to its name. The redhead knew he had a lot to live up to if some of the stories of the previous pilot were to be true.

Sasori smirked at the thought and walked into the cockpit. Sliding into the chair, he waited until everyone was in before doing what he did best. He switched on the controls, did a quick check that everything was functioning properly and lifted off once the all clear was given. He steered the ship out of the dock and into the dark abyss of space.

* * *

They had been flying for a day when Kisame informed Sasori of the defence systems of Sondarsta.

"They have satellites which bounce signals back and forth between the planet and just outside of the planet itself. They detect an unknown vessel, it's vaporized before it gets any closer to the ground."

Sasori gulped a little.

"What should we do then?" he asked. Kisame smirked.

"You're other talent according to your file, is computer hacking?" The redhead nodded.

"I'm gonna take over flying the ship and you will use the computers to bounce the signal through the ship and towards the other satellite. We won't be detectable if the orbiting satellites get the signals."

Sasori nodded and handed over the controls to Kisame. He slipped into the chair in front of the computers and waited for the signal to be sent. The others watched him as his fingers became a blur, typing very fast, trying to bounce the signal out through the ship.

A small bead of sweat ran down his temple as he just managed to send it out. He sighed with relief and waited for the second wave of signals.

Kisame steered the vessel to land a few clicks away from the distress signal. He looked around for a clearing large enough for the ship; finding one, he activated the landing gear and delicately touched down on the planet's surface.

Sasori let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, when he felt the ship land. He leaned back in his seat and grinned a little at Kisame. The blue leader clapped his hands together.

"Okay, that's the easy part done!" he exclaimed cheerfully, "Now for the fun part."

Everyone made their way to kit up in protective suits. Sondarsta had a lighter gravity than Earth which was evident when the Sonda had gotten ill from the heavier gravity on Earth. There was also trace very little nitrogen and half the oxygen of Earth as well as excess Carbon Dioxide and Helium in the air which made the planet very warm and toxic to humans.

Once everyone was in a suit which consisted of rather heavy armour and oxygen masks and tanks, they headed towards the exit. Sasori gripped his weapon and couldn't help a little excitement from leaking into his expression. This was the first time he was going to see the planet for himself. Accounts had always painted it as a beautiful place with different types of warm climates from tropical rainforests to scorching deserts so hot, the sand was red.

The team of soldiers followed Kisame who was holding a GPS, showing where the distress call had been activated from. They were headed north when Kisame stopped them.

"Hold up," he called quietly, "Hostile camp dead ahead."

Sasori squinted through the thick foliage of the jungle terrain. He though he saw movement but didn't respond. Kisame ordered them to get down.

"We'll take a closer look but keep low and don't fire unless I say so," he hissed. Sasori lowered himself to the ground with the others and they army crawled closer. Kisame stopped and peeked around a large shrub. Sasori crawled over next to him. His brown orbs widened.

It was a small camp site; temporary from the looks of the small tents, surrounding a small fire. There were armed Sonda sitting or eating or keeping watch. Sasori counted about ten of them. This wasn't what caught his attention.

At the far end of the camp, a Sonda significantly smaller than the rest was tied by his wrists from a tree branch. His shirt was in tatters and he was gagged. His long blonde hair was rather matted and a few strands were sticking to the side of his head caked in dried blood. Sasori growled a little. How could they do that to their own kind?

Two of the armed Sonda were talking in their native tongue making Kisame curse a little.

"Tobi get up here," he whispered. The mask soldier crawled over and to Sasori's amazement began to translate.

"_Has he talked yet_?" Tobi murmured, "No, he won't give anything away. _Beat him some more. _If I do that I'll kill him. _We need to know where that rebel camp is._ _They're protecting humans._ I know that."

Kisame's eyes widened in surprise. Sasori realised as well. They had to get that blonde to help them find their missing people. The blue soldier looked over his shoulder and signalled to his men. Sasori nodded and shifted a little.

"Open fire," Kisame murmured. Hidan was first to jump in. He yelled in glee and jumped through the trees firing his dual mini Uzi at the armed Sonda, who yelped in surprise. Three were already dead by the time the rest had reacted. Sasori, Kisame, Tobi and Zetsu had already assaulted the group by then, ripping through them in mere seconds. Once they checked they were all dead, Sasori and Kisame hurried over to the small blonde one.

He had woken up during the commotion and was staring at them with fearful azure blue eyes. He trembled as Sasori gently pulled the gag from his mouth and cut him down. Kisame caught his fragile form and lay him gently down.

"Hey kid, you speak English?" he asked. The blonde frantically nodded his head.

"Y-yeah un," he almost whimpered, "W-what do y-you want un?"

Kisame grinned in a friendly manner and leaned the young Sonda against the tree he had previously been tied to.

"We overheard those bastards saying that you knew where a rebel camp was," he explained, "They said the rebels were protecting humans. Do you know anything about this?"

The Sonda was shaking violently and breathing shallowly from the fear of being caught in the middle of a jungle by human soldiers. Sasori kneeled down next to him and pulled out his canteen.

"Here take some of this," he murmured, "You'll be dehydrated from this atmosphere."

The blonde alien looked very confused but gratefully accepted the water. He gulped it down desperately like a man who hadn't had a drink in years. He sighed a little and gave back the water bottle with a small shy smile. Sasori took back the canteen, his expression remaining neutral.

"What's your name?" he asked slowly.

"D-Deidara un," the blonde mumbled. Kisame gave him a grin.

"Okay Deidara, I'm Kisame," he said cheerfully, "Can you help us find this rebel camp? They may be able to help us find our friends."

Deidara's ears flattened a little against his head as he looked down into his lap.

"I-I know where the camp is," he said quietly, "I can take you there."

Kisame nodded.

"That's great," he said in a friendly tone. Deidara nodded a little. Kisame looked over to his pilot.

"Sasori, clean up his wounds and make sure he's alright," he ordered, "We'll make sure the surrounding area is clear. We'll find the rebel camp in the morning."

The pilot nodded and waited until his four teammates had left before turning back to the young Sonda. He pulled off his pack and routed around for a first aid kit. Deidara remained silent as he watched Sasori rummage, his ears and nose twitching every so often. Sasori found his target with a small triumphant grunt and pulled it out.

"I'm going to clean and dress your injuries," he said slowly to the young alien, who nodded a little. Sasori deftly took the blonde's wrists and gently dabbed the cuts were his bindings had been too tight. He let out a guttural but tuneful whine as Sasori cleaned and dressed his wounds.

"How old are you Deidara?" Sasori asked, cleaning the dry blood from his temple. Deidara shifted his head to give the pilot better access.

"Nineteen un," he mumbled. Sasori nodded a little. He decided to take the kid's mind off his current situation.

"I'm twenty four," he said casually, "What are your interests?"

Deidara smiled a little, making soft whistling noises.

"Art un," he replied, quietly, "I like sculpting." Sasori raised an eyebrow as he moved onto wrapping bandages around Deidara's heavily bruised torso. He was no medic so he could only hope that the bandages would help Deidara not jostle his ribs too much which Sasori was pretty sure were broken or fractured in at least two places. The kid must have taken quite a beating.

"I like art as well," the redhead stated, "I make puppets."

Deidara's ears perked up and swivelled a few times. Sasori noticed they swivelled certain ways when he said or did certain things. If he asked about personal information, the younger's ears would twitch and flatten as if he was shy or reluctant to answer. If he perked the blonde's interests like just now, his ears would flicker around.

"Puppets un?" he asked curiously. Sasori nodded putting his first aid kit away.

"Yes, I was taught the technique by my grandmother," he replied, "How do you feel now?"

Deidara looked himself over, pulling at the bandages with slight distaste. He wrinkled his nose a little but nodded and smiled a little.

"Okay un," he answered. Sasori nodded and sat down beside him in silence, waiting for the others to arrive. Deidara was rather antsy and his ears refused to stop twitching. His nose wouldn't stop wrinkling and his gaze darted around. Sasori frowned a little.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. Deidara said something in his native tongue before shaking his head. Sasori heard a twig snap and whipped around, weapon raised. He heard a chuckle and lowered his gun, glaring at the culprit. Hidan waltzed out, a grin plastered across his face.

"S'up Rookie?" he said teasingly, "Getting cosy with the enemy I see?"

Deidara flinched and pressed himself against the redhead, ears flat, shrinking under the accusing stare of the silver haired male. Sasori scowled.

"He's not an enemy Hidan, and no, I was just following orders," Sasori drawled, "Now leave him alone before I make you."

Hidan snickered and held up his hands.

"Fine, fine, just fucking messing with ya," he chuckled. Deidara kept his feline eyes fixated on the ground. Sasori sighed and glared Hidan into leaving. Only then did the Sonda relax but only slightly.

"He doesn't like me un," he mumbled, ears drooping miserably. Sasori regarded him for a minute before shrugging.

"He has no reason to I suppose," he replied casually, "Don't worry about him though. I'm sure he was dropped on his head as a baby.

Deidara let out a small giggle mixed with whistling. Sasori almost couldn't get over how funny the Sonda language was. It sounded so childish and playful. But maybe he hadn't heard enough of it.

"Thank you un," Deidara whispered.

"What for?" Sasori queried. The Sonda huddled closer.

"For making him leave me alone un," he murmured, "I just want to be left alone."

Sasori shrugged and stayed silent.

A few moments later, Kisame, Zetsu and Tobi returned and sat down around the fire which was still burning. Kisame pulled out ration packs and threw one at each soldier and finally another one for Deidara. He accepted it sceptically and gave Sasori a questioning look as the pilot took it upon himself to make sure he didn't go anywhere. The kid looked harmless but Sasori was taught better than to underestimate the Sonda.

"It's food," he explained, "Open it up and eat."

The blonde looked down at the silver wrapped pack. He quickly tore it open and scarfed down the food, forgetting how hungry he was.

Sasori stared as the food disappeared in mere seconds. The blonde blushed a little and looked away, his ears drooping. The redhead smirked and gave his remaining half to the teen. He was given a confused look.

"You're still hungry right?" he asked, cocking his head. Deidara nodded shyly and accepted it. Kisame watched the exchange and smirked a little.

Sasori's first day in the field and he's already befriending the enemy. Kisame chuckled a little. The redhead reminded him of himself.

* * *

**_Okay yes, Deidara is rather OOC but you will learn about his story in the next few chapters. Sorry if anyone else is as well, I wanted to keep them all in character as well. So, tell me what you think of it. Review and stuff. Love you all lots and lots!^-^_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Yeah I couldn't sleep a wink last night so I am posting this at 5am. Hope you liked the first chapter :) I am so tired...I'm gonna go get coffee (I hate coffee too...that's how tired I am...*yawn) So yeah, enjoy.**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

* * *

Sasori could feel his eyelids grow heavy as he struggled to keep awake. He was supposed to be relieved by Hidan an hour ago but the silver haired male was proving unreliable. The red head stood up with a scowl and marched over to the soldier and roughly kicked him in the ribs. Hidan woke with a start.

"What the fuck?" he demanded, grabbing his weapon and waving it around. Sasori smirked.

"Stop playing with that Hidan, it's not a toy," he drawled, "And you were supposed to start century duty an hour ago."

Hidan rubbed the back of his neck with an almost apologetic grin. He traipsed off to sit and keep watch.

Sasori blew a sigh of relief and quietly made his way to his place of rest, which was next to the young Sonda he was keeping an eye on. So far he hadn't expressed hostility but if you wanted to survive, you couldn't trust them; at least that's what his instructors and higher ups had told him. As far as he could tell, this 'enemy' was nothing more than a scared kid, caught up in what Sasori had dubbed as a pointless war. His training was telling him that for all he knew, this person could have been a trained soldier ready to slit their throats the second their backs were turned.

Shrugging off these unsettling thoughts, he leaned against the tree and shut his eyes. As soon as he felt like he was dozing off, a warm, small form was curling up against his thigh.

* * *

Sasori was shaken awake roughly by a blue hand on his shoulder. He blinked a little and shook his head.

"Wakey wakey soldier!" Kisame called cheerfully, "We got comrades to rescue!"

Sasori grabbed his rifle and stood up, stretching. He looked down to see Deidara rubbing his visibly eye, ears twitching as he straightened up. Kisame knelt in front of him.

"You will lead us to the rebel camp once we are ready," he said casually, "Stick close to either me or Sasori at all times. We'll keep you safe."

He gave the blonde boy a friendly grin. Deidara returned it with his own shy smile before standing up and fiddling with his hair. Kisame stood and walked over to pack up his gear.

"Right guys, we move on in five minutes," he announced assertively. Everyone nodded and moved around quickly. Sasori busied himself checking his weapon. Deidara watched him from a few feet away. Sasori glanced his way and noticed the nervous look in the Sonda's feline eyes. He shrugged it off and took the safety off his weapon, ready to go.

Deidara visibly flinched when he heard the all too familiar click of the red haired human's weapon. He appreciated being rescued but he was nervous as hell of waltzing into the rebel camp with a band of humans. If he wasn't killed before they could reach it.

"Alright everyone, let's move," Kisame said walking over to Deidara. The blonde nervous glanced towards Sasori who nodded and motioned to move with his weapon. The blonde scurried in front and made his way through the vegetation.

Sasori hurried after Deidara who was rather speedy, zipping in and around branches and roots. His lack of protective gear and his light build gave him an advantage over the soldiers who were heavier. Sasori sighed a little.

"Hey Deidara how much farther?" Kisame called after an hour of walking. The blonde stopped dead and looked back.

"It's close," he said quietly, looking rather sad. Sasori walked up to stand next to him, looking through the trees. He thought he noticed movement. He raised his weapon but a small hand was set on the end of the gun. He followed the hand up the arm, the shoulder, the neck to land on Deidara's catlike face as he shook his head.

"No un," he said quickly, "They won't hurt you unless you give them reason."

The red head acknowledged his warning and lowered his weapon. Kisame, Zetsu, Hidan and Tobi stood close behind them and followed the red head's lead.

They stood in silence for around three minutes until a birdlike cry was heard through the jungle. Deidara's ears perked and he called back with his own whistle like call.

"What was that?" Kisame hissed. Deidara flinched at the harsh tone but explained that the rebels were going to take them into the camp. Kisame looked away from the blonde and saw more Sonda arriving. They were wearing protective gear and each of them wore a black bandana with red clouds either around their necks, foreheads or their upper arms.

The leader of them was a male, much taller and more muscular than Deidara, with pale skin and long black hair tied back into a low ponytail. His bandana was tied around his forehead and kept his bangs away from his crimson red eyes. He was carrying a Sonda native gun and was glaring at them with suspicion.

He held his weapon up to Deidara and began to speak in low hissing and whistling noises. Deidara held up his hands and began to speak back in his own series of whistles and guttural sounds. The black haired male turned his gaze onto the soldiers.

"So you are looking for a group of humans?" he asked, his voice smooth and silky. Kisame nodded.

"Yes, we are looking for a group we received a distress call from," he explained, "We thought you would be able to help us find them."

The group of Sonda exchanged looks and seemed to be talking among themselves. Deidara leaned in to Sasori.

"They are going to take us to see their leader," he whispered, "This is good un."

Sasori tilted his head in response. He didn't find this whole situation 'good' as Deidara had put it but he supposed there was nothing they could do now. The black haired Sonda turned his attention back to them.

"We will take you to the leader," he said sternly, You will speak with him and then he will determine your fate."

He reached forward and grabbed Deidara roughly by the shoulder making him hiss with anger and a bit of pain. The taller male snarled back making the blonde fall silent, his ears flattened.

Sasori felt a weapon being pressed into his back and he walked forward, following Kisame who was being moved in front of him. He could hear Hidan cursing from behind him and he thought he heard two Sonda conversing behind him.

They walked into a clearing, their eyes widening at the sight of the rebel camp. There was a large spaceship, almost as large as the mothership they had been on just two days ago. Around the ship were several large tents, one for dining, one for medical situations and another three set up as sleeping quarters for guards on duty.

The human soldiers were marched through the camp, feeling the catlike eyes watch them with suspicion and mistrust as they walked towards the mothership. They walked up the steps and were steered through the corridors deeper and deeper into the belly of the metal beast.

"Stop here," the pale Sonda ordered, opening a door and dragging Deidara inside with him. Kisame frowned and looked towards another Sonda.

"What is he doing with Deidara?" he demanded. The Sonda glared at Kisame before answering.

"The leader is going to question him about why he decided to show a bunch of human soldiers where our camp was," he said casually, "If he is suspected of treason, he will be executed."

Kisame growled.

"The kid did nothing wrong!" he exclaimed, "We just saved him from a group of Sonda who were torturing him! We asked him to show us here when we heard you had humans."

The Sonda scowled and shrugged.

"The leader shall decide," he replied. Kisame fumed in silence. Sasori sighed irritably and tapped his foot. He really hated waiting, especially when they were meant to be finding those soldiers, not playing around with rebels. Finally, the door opened up again and they were walked into the room.

It was large, with a round table and many chairs seated around it. The table top was covered in maps, photographs, diagrams and lots of texts. On the opposite side of the table stood two intelligent looking Sonda. One was male with shocking orange hair and multiple facial piercings. Sasori wondered how he managed to pierce through his flatter nose but shrugged off the thought as quickly as it came.

The other was a female with purplish blue hair and a white rose made of paper nestled in her hair. She too had a facial piercing through her lower lip. The male wore his bandana around his forehead and the blunette wore hers around her left arm. They were also dressed in standard issue military uniforms.

"So you are the humans Deidara brought?" The male asked, peering at the group. Deidara flinched as he stood next to the Sonda who had dragged him in. The female frowned.

"Itachi, release him, he did nothing wrong," she said sternly. The Sonda, now known as Itachi, hesitated before letting him go. The blonde rubbed his arm which was beginning to bruise.

Kisame stood straight and proud as he spoke.

"Yes we came across a group of Sonda who were torturing Deidara," he explained, "We were sent here on a mission to retrieve and evacuate a team of humans who had sent out a distress call. We overheard a few of the Sonda talking about Deidara's knowledge of a rebel camp who were protecting humans. Once we saved him, we asked if he could take us here. We didn't really leave him much chose, since he was outnumbered and outgunned."

The orange haired Sonda mulled this over, his odd eyes flickering between Deidara who was staring hard at the ground and Kisame who was watching him with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. He turned to his partner who nodded.

"My name is Pein, I am one of the leaders of the rebellion movement," he explained, "This is Konan, my partner. Yes, we are holding humans here. We broke them out of Sonda custody when we sent a team in to steal documents of Sonda military movements."

Kisame's face lit up.

"Can we evacuate them?" he requested, "We need to see them and find out what their mission was so that we may continue it."

Pein nodded and turned to Konan and spoke to her softly in tuneful chirps and whistles. Konan nodded and hurried from the room and dismissed the other Sonda except for Itachi and Deidara. She then hurried down the hall and disappeared. Kisame looked at Pein with slight confusion.

"They told us that their mission was confidential and already complete," Pein stated casually, "We will allow you to speak with them yourselves."

Sasori glanced at Kisame, noticing he was concerned. Had their information been wrong? He shrugged and hoped there was just some kind of miscommunication involved between the rebel Sonda and soldiers.

The redheaded pilot spared a glance towards Deidara who was still standing in the same place as before. He was still staring hard at the ground and shaking a little. Sasori sighed and looked back towards Pein who was having a quiet conversation with Kisame. He slipped over to the blonde who started a little at his sudden appearance.

"You alright?" he asked quietly. Deidara nodded, his blue pools flickering around the room before landing on Sasori again.

"I-I'm a little th-thirsty un," he muttered. Sasori nodded and reached for his canteen, just to be stopped by Itachi.

"You will be released shortly and he may drink our water supply," the black haired Sonda said sternly, "Until then, stay with your other humans."

Sasori scowled and shoved the hand off his own and continued to give his canteen to Deidara. The kid obviously wasn't used to all the commotion and a little compassion never went amiss. The blonde took it gratefully and took a long drink. Sasori could have sworn he saw a glint in the kid's eye that told him, he was simply trying to piss off Itachi. Sasori smirked as he took back his canteen.

The door opened up and Konan returned with a group of four humans; three males and one female. Kisame grinned at the oldest man, a silver haired male with a mask over his face.

"Kisame," he greeted cheerfully, "Nice to know we weren't forgotten about."

Kisame walked over and man hugged the other male.

"Kakashi!" the blue man chortled, "Nice to see ya. We need to discuss matters."

Kakashi's cheerful look (or what could be seen of it) vanished and he cleared his throat while looking over his comrades.

"I would prefer if we spoke about that in private," he stated quietly, "There is something rather delicate I wish to discuss with you."

Kisame frowned but nodded and followed Kakashi over to a far corner. Sasori and the others got the message and stayed where they were. He scanned the other three members of Kakashi's team.

There was a blonde haired and blue eyed male with sun kissed skin and whisker like markings on his face. He seemed a little too cheerful for Sasori's tastes. The second male was a pale almost paper white young man with very short black hair and a rather bored or vacant expression. Sasori presumed he would get on with him at least for the short amount of time they were there. The final member was a girl who looked very out of place with her shocking pink hair and rather kind looking face. If Sasori had to guess, he would say she was a medic since she looked too innocent to be a killer.

"So what was your mission?" he asked casually. The pale man regarded the red head for a few seconds before answering.

"I'm sure our captains will tell you all the information you need to know," he said while throwing in a rather fake looking smile, which Sasori did not return. He scowled a little at the lack of cooperation but went back to being bored. He decided to entertain himself by watching all of the Sonda in the room and try to decipher personalities.

Most of the rebels were well behaved, standing to attention, barely even moving unless told otherwise; very well trained if Sasori had to guess. Konan however shot occasional glances at the room's occupants, mostly towards Pein, Deidara, Itachi or himself. He shrugged this off as being cautious or alert. The blonde Sonda himself was just fidgety, nervous and alert of everything around him; simply the signs of a frightened kid, possibly not military trained or perhaps fresh from training school. Sasori was surprised to secretly find himself hoping that the male was as innocent as he seemed and not a trained killer, ready to rip him to pieces at a moments notice.

Kisame and Kakashi seemed to have finished their conversation as Kakashi beckoned his team forward as did Kisame. Sasori stepped forward with his comrades and they listened in on what the two captains had to say.

"Right, my team is going back to earth to report in on what we have found," Kakashi explained, "We need to tell our authorities that there are still Sonda who are willing to help us end this war on peaceful terms. Sakura, Sai, Naruto, we are going to relay this information while Captain Hoshigaki and his team remain here with the rebels as liaisons of sorts. Our two teams will remain in contact throughout in hopes of forming a proper connection with the rebel movement. Pein-sama here has already okayed the idea so it is just a matter of getting us back to the ship and out of the planet's orbit."

Everyone nodded and pretty soon, Kakashi's team had prepared to leave and bid farewell. They were taking Kisame's ship which wasn't too appealing to the others but they trusted Kakashi's judgment about the rebels and stayed with the camp, while the other team were making their way back to the ship with a Sonda escort.

"I already have accommodation ready for you," Pein stated to Kisame, "Konan will be glad to show you around and explain everything to you."

Kisame smiled appreciatively and the female Sonda motioned for them to follow. With a little uncertainty and some reassurance from Konan in the form tuneful whistles and guttural sounds, Deidara also followed, staying close between Sasori and Kisame.

"This is the main ship," Konan explained, beckoning around the ship itself, which looked a lot like the mother ship with metal grating floors exposing the wires which fed into electrical and air supplies throughout and the metal plated walls, complete with small, thick windows, sliding panel doors and pressure pad buttons.

"You will notice that most of the rooms are empty since our numbers are stretched and this is just the main camp," Konan continued, "At any time we need to be ready to pack up and escape official military forces or risk execution. There are shoot to kill orders on our heads. However, we have excellent defence measures so probability of an ambush had been reduced to a minimum of 3.7%."

Sasori had to smirk at her accuracy on such a thing as probability. She obviously hadn't taken into account such things as the unpredictability of instinct and bad luck. He continued to listen to the blue haired female as she showed them to their rooms.

"Rooms bunk three people for comfortable enough living," she said as they came across two rooms, "You may choose which rooms you wish to stay in but I will insist that you stay in your rooms unless you have a Sonda with you. Many of our members do not speak a human language or at least do not speak English. Stray humans are not exactly the safest wandering around on their own."

Everyone nodded and spilt up. Kisame, Zetsu and Tobi took one room, while Hidan, Sasori and Deidara took the other one. The rooms were quite small with a bunk bed on one side of the room and a single bed with roughly five feet between them. Above the single bed, was storage space for clothing and other gear. Konan seemed satisfied with this setup and made to leave.

"Breakfast will be served tomorrow morning at 0700 hours and then Pein-sama will speak to you all after wards. Be at our briefing room at 0800 hours," she said before leaving. Hidan kicked off his boots and dumped his gear in a corner before jumping on the top of the bunk bed. He let out a contented sigh and grinned mischievously over at the redhead and the young alien.

"These beds are fucking comfy as hell!" he said loudly, "Damn, why are we fighting fuckers who make shit this good?"

Sasori smirked and left his things in a much neater pile before climbing into the bed below Hidan. Deidara cast a nervous eye around before sighing and climbing into the only unoccupied bed. He lay down and realised how comfy it was. He snuggled down and closed his eyes.

Sasori lay awake for a few hours, simply staring at the bottom of Hidan's mattress. His head was reeling with everything as he tried to piece together how and why he had gotten onto the ship of a rebel movement of Sonda, his supposed enemy. His gaze wondered over to rest on the back of Deidara's head as the male was sleeping facing the wall. Sasori sighed and combed a hand through his own red hair.

He rolled over and closed his eyes determined to sleep before he thought too much.

* * *

**_Team Kakashi will appear again if you're a fan of any of them.  
So I went to see The Pact yesterday with my sister and it did scare me. Naturally I sat in between my mum and my sister and they both laughed at me as I got the hiccups half way through. I tell you now, the best place to have hiccups is in a horror movie! The next scene made me jump and cured me right away!_**

**_Anyway, review and stuff :)_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Yay new chapter!^^ I am really enjoying writing this story. Hope you are enjoying it just as much!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**_

* * *

Sasori cracked his eyes open. The brown pools looked around lazily, everything slightly blurred from sleep. Everything from the previous day flooded into his tired mind and he shot up, smacking his head off the bottom of the top bunk.

"Ow, shit," he grumbled rubbing his head, where he felt a lump forming. Shuffling to his left said that Deidara was awake. He looked over to the kid who was sitting up and looking around. His visible blue eye landed on Sasori and he gave a sleepy smile.

"Good morning un," he murmured. Sasori nodded in acknowledgment as he climbed out of his bed and made it. Deidara did the same and they sat opposite each other, as they waited for Hidan to awaken. Sasori regarded the kid with a critical eye.

"So what were you doing when you got caught by those military soldiers?" Sasori asked casually. He was curious about Deidara to say the least but he also wanted something to do. The blonde sighed and his ears drooped before he answered.

"I was looking for the rebel camp un," he muttered, "I…I wanted to join them and help end the war."

Sasori's interested perked up and he asked more questions.

"Why?" he queried. Deidara's face darkened a little as he pulled up his knees to his chest and rested his chin on them. He stared hard at Sasori as he spoke.

"The Sonda destroyed my home village un," he muttered, "They were forcing people to join the military and aid in the war. If anyone refused, they were killed. They…killed my family un. I managed to escape though."

Sasori stared in mild shock at the Sonda as he took in this information. So Deidara wanted to end the war that killed his family? That sounded reasonable enough to Sasori, but to think it was Deidara's own kind, the ones who were supposed to be protecting civilians like this kid who were responsible; Sasori almost wanted to be sick.

"I…am…sorry for your lose," he guessed. He wasn't sure how Sonda mourned for their dead but he just tried to offer something. Deidara gave a sad smile and leaned his head back against the wall. Minutes ticked by in an awkward silence until Deidara decided to speak.

"What about you un?" he asked, "Do you have family?"

Sasori shrugged and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

"I have a grandmother and grand uncle in the military," he replied, "Never see them much but I hear from them now and again."

Deidara nodded and shifted until he was cross legged.

"What about parents un?" he asked, cocking his head to the side. Sasori shrugged and shook his head.

"Dead," he replied, "Happened a long time ago. I was five."

Deidara bit his lip and lowered his gaze.

"Sorry for your lose un," he mumbled, remembering what Sasori had said to him, "How did it happen?"

Sasori smirked a little at the Sonda. He seemed civil enough; it was almost like talking to another human. The redhead sat up straighter and spoke.

"This war has been going on for forty years," he stated, "My parents didn't agree with it. They talked about the Sonda as being good people, no different from humans. The governments didn't like this and they were murdered by the military."

Deidara watched his neutral expression turn rather sad, even if he wouldn't express his true feelings; Deidara could sort of read his eyes. They were like deep oceans of mystery, just waiting to be unravelled by the blonde Sonda.

"I guess we are more alike than we know," he finally said, with a very small smile, "Betrayed by the ones supposedly keeping us safe un."

Sasori nodded and was about to speak when a loud groan sounded above his head. He stood up and looked up at Hidan as he hopped from the top bunk and threw on a shirt and his boots. Sasori and Deidara did the same.

"Right, I'm fucking starving, let's go find breakfast!" Hidan announced cheerfully. Sasori frowned.

"Didn't that Konan woman say not to leave unless we have a Sonda for translation and escort?" he reminded the silver soldier. Hidan smirked and slapped Deidara on the back.

"In case you forgot, Blondie here _is_ a fucking Sonda!" he said cheerfully, "Problem fucking solved, now let's go eat."

The redhead sighed and followed Hidan who took the lead, closely followed by Deidara who was secretly very hungry. They walked in mostly silence unless they passed rebels who seemed to glare at them, especially Hidan who fearlessly glared back.

"Hidan, do you mind not giving them a reason to shoot us?" Sasori growled at his teammate. Hidan just laughed loudly and threw him the finger. Deidara looked confused and did it too.

"What does that mean un?" he asked. Sasori scowled and grabbed his hand.

"Don't do that brat, it's a rude gesture idiots like Hidan use to show their lack of intellect," he drawled. Hidan's eyes flashed and he wheeled round.

"What the fuck you say shorty?" he snapped. Sasori returned his glare with a bored look.

"Just the truth Hidan," he replied simply. The Jashinist snarled and drew a fist back intending to hit the pilot. His fist seemed to move in slow motion as Deidara dived in front of Sasori and another Sonda stepped up behind Hidan and grabbed his arm.

"Don't touch Sasori no Danna un!" Deidara hissed, several threatening clicks and hisses issued from his mouth. Hidan growled and looked from Deidara, to the other male who had grabbed his arm. His magenta eyes widened at the sight of the huge tanned Sonda. He was arms were muscular and covered in thick stitches and his face was covered with his bandana, only the red and green catlike eyes visible.

"Do not start fights between comrades," he grunted before releasing Hidan's arm and walking off. Hidan watched him go with a surprised look on his face before turning back to see Deidara still standing protectively in front of Sasori, his gaze steely and his arms raised, ready to fight off the human soldier.

"Right forget it Blondie, I won't fucking touch him," he muttered, turning around. Deidara breathed out and continued walking after the silver haired man; both of them leaving a stunned Sasori who tried to kick start his brain again.

He quickly shook his head, too confused to apprehend what had happened and jogged to pick up pace with his two roommates. They soon reached the cafeteria of sorts in the ship and looked around the tables.

"Hidan, Sasori, **over here**," called Zetsu. The three males made their way over to a table which consisted of Kisame, Zetsu and Tobi. They took seats and a Sonda in an apron and chef's hat placed food trays in front of them. Hidan and Deidara fell on the food liked starved men while Sasori was more refined and actually stopped to chew and breathe.

"So, while we are liaisons between the rebels and our government you are all to be on your best behaviour," Kisame said sternly, "That means you Hidan!"

The Jashinist gave his captain the finger without bothering to look up at him. Kisame smirked.

"Give me that again and I take that damn finger of yours and insert it where the sun doesn't shine!" he threatened playfully. Safe to say the finger wasn't shown again. Kisame continued.

"After we eat, we're going straight to Pein's briefing room and he's gonna tell us what we can do. So eat now, cause I have no idea what's in store for us."

Sasori nodded and began to eat his food which surprisingly consisted of porridge, orange juice and bread and jam. He smirked a little at the familiarity with home and dug in.

Everyone ate with light conversation included and were soon ready to leave. They stood up and made their way out of the cafeteria and down the halls. Thankfully, Itachi was there to greet them outside the dining area and led them to the briefing room since none of them actually remembered where it was.

"Ah, good morning," Pein greeted, "Take a seat."

Everyone sat down at the round table, except for Itachi who stood behind Pein with the Sonda that Hidan, Sasori and Deidara had encountered earlier. Pein regarded them all coolly before speaking.

"Now, since you are staying here, I would like to request your involvement when we go on various missions," he stated, "Our numbers are stretched thin as it is and having several extra hands on deck could be of great benefit to us. I would also like to assign you all a Sonda as translators."

Everyone nodded except for Zetsu who spoke up.

"We will have no need for a translator. **Tobi speaks fluent Sonda and he is our partner**," he said. Tobi nodded and bounced on his seat giggling 'Tobi is a good boy.' Pein shot the masked man a slightly disturbed look but nodded all the same.

"Very well, Itachi will be assigned to Kisame and Kakuzu here will be assigned to Hidan," he stated. The stitched Sonda from earlier shuffled over to Hidan, who scowled and crossed his arms. Itachi walked over to Kisame and merely stood quietly. "Since Deidara seems to get on well with Sasori, he shall serve as his translator and escort."

The blonde nodded, his blue hues shining as he smiled at Sasori, who nodded back.

Pein looked over the young male's person and shook his head.

"Deidara, you will also report to the medical tents after this meeting," he stated, "Then you will be fitted with a uniform."

Deidara nodded slowly, blushing slightly from the attention. Sasori, now that he took the time, noticed that his new escort was holding himself rather funny.

"Also, Captain Hoshigaki, you spoke of continuing a mission that Captain Hatake was previously assigned. Do you still wish to do this?"

Kisame nodded and flashed a toothy grin.

"Yeah, if you could show us where that military base is then we can take it from there," the blue soldier said eagerly, "It would just help if we had an idea of what type of strategies are in play on this planet."

Pein nodded and dismissed everyone except Kisame and Itachi to discuss the new mission. Sasori reminded Deidara of Pein's orders and together they hurried back to their room to collect Sasori's protective gear before leaving the safe environment of the ship.

"Where are the medical tents again?" Sasori queried, hopping down from the opening in the ship. Deidara winced as he connected with the ground but stood straight and walked off in the direction he had remembered seeing them in. Within two or three minutes, Sasori noticed the large white tent with the green plus sign on the doorway. Sasori ducked inside, dragging Deidara with him.

The smell of morphine and anaesthetic assaulted his nostrils almost instantly. The pilot cast his gaze around the rows of patients with various injuries or illnesses. In this tent along there were roughly eight injured Sonda. A female with short black hair hurried over to them, with a glare at Sasori, ushered them in and began speaking in whistles and chirps. Deidara responded with a few hand gestures and his own chirps and guttural sounds.

Sasori simply watched as Deidara was sat down on a bed and his shirt and bandages removed. Two nurses worried over him, poking and setting his ribs which were the only real problem. Deidara was a good patient except for a few pained cries when the nurses had to reset his bones and they were free to leave in an hour.

"I hate hospitals un," Deidara mumbled as he wobbled out of the tent. Sasori shrugged and walked silently towards a storage room to kit out the blonde.

"Deidara?" Sasori stopped and drew his attention, "What did you call me when Hidan was about to deck me?"

The Sonda stopped and looked over at him, blinking a little. His cheeks tinted pink as he remembered the incident. Shuffling his feet, ears flattening, he stumbled about to find an explanation.

"I-I…ummm…w-well I called you…Danna un," he mumbled. Sasori raised an eyebrow and cocked his head.

"Isn't that Japanese for-"

"Master yeah," Deidara cut him off, "I just thought that…you were kind to me…and…I thought I should return the favour and repay you un?"

Sasori watched the Sonda's behaviour intently, causing the younger male to fidget under his intense gaze. He was busy finding the ground very interesting to look at when he heard a small chuckle. His gaze snapped up and his ears perked as he realised Sasori was actually smiling; albeit it was a tiny, ghost of a smile but a smile none the less. Deidara realised this was the first time he had seen the red head express any form of happiness.

"Well then, Danna it is," Sasori remarked, continuing on his way towards the storage rooms. Deidara smiled to himself before hurrying after his newly dubbed Danna.

* * *

Kisame looked over at Itachi who was standing about four feet away from him. He held out a blue hand and grinned.

"Kisame," he said, introducing himself. Itachi looked from Kisame's face down to his hand before slowly clasping it in his own pale grip.

"Itachi Uchiha," he murmured. Kisame nodded and released his hand, looking back at Pein.

"So when is the soonest we can check out that base?" he asked, tone all business now. Pein looked over a few documents on the table before replying.

"The soonest I can get you out there will be tomorrow at sundown," he replied, "We have been to that base a few times before and worked out the guard pattern. Every third day at sunrise, the patrols switch around. There is a small window of thirty minutes in which an entrance is left unguarded. We would be able to slip you in then."

Kisame thought this over and nodded.

"Okay, you give us the all clear when you think is best to end," he said, standing up, "I'm trusting you on this so if your Intel is dodgy and I loose anyone…let's just say, this liaison business won't go too smoothly."

Pein nodded, seemingly unfazed by the underlying threat in the captain's voice.

"Very well," he concluded, "I will send someone for you when the time is right and you can assemble your team."

Kisame nodded and took his leave, walking out with Itachi on his heels.

* * *

"Deidara, hold still," Sasori scowled, trying to adjust the strap on the blonde's new helmet. Deidara had never worn hats or helmets since they were uncomfortable on his ears. He kept pulling away from the helmet until Sasori shoved the helmet down.

"Ow Danna un," he grunted. Sasori smirked and finished adjusting it. He stood back to review his handy work and realised that Deidara actually looked really good in a military uniform.

"There, how does it feel?" he asked, shaking his head of the slightly unnerving thoughts. Deidara smiled a little and chirped happily. Sasori took this as a good thing and turned around to walk out the door. Deidara carefully unclipped the helmet and carried it under his arm as they left to go back to their room.

* * *

**_Okay so you can see why Deidara acts the way he does now. He isn't a trained killer in this fic but he will grow more confident throughout the story :) I am going to sleep now because I'm shattered and I have my last ever maths exam tomorrow :D After that I never have to look at another simultanious equation or surds or exponential graph ever again in my life! :3 I is so happy!_**

**_Anyway pretty please review and special thanks to you Chillybean for being the first to review both chapters :) Love you chick!lol_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Woo! Five more exams to go peoples! Then I will be free :D And a new chapter here :3 Enjoy it! Thank you to Chillybean and PsychoPyro and gabrielsangel23 for reviewing!:D Love you guys so much!lol**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters used.**_

* * *

"Like this un?"

Sasori sighed and stepped up behind the teen and fixed his hold on the gun and his stance.

"No, like this," he muttered, straightening out his arm and turn his upper body slightly. Deidara blushed a little at being so clueless about handling a gun next to Sasori who was an expert. Once the red head was satisfied with his position, he told him to aim and fire.

"Look down the barrel and line up these little ridges here at the end," he said, pointing them out, "When you pull the trigger, squeeze it and remember to push the butt into your left hand as you do. That'll keep it steadier. Now when you're ready, try it."

Deidara nodded and did everything that Sasori had told him. He pulled the trigger and gasped at the loud bang. Sasori's eyebrows raised in surprise as one of the old training dummies fell backwards.

"Well done brat, you hit something," he said casually, walking over to the dummy and seeing a bullet hole about an inch away from the centre of the target.

"I'll say beginner's luck. Try again now," he called, hurrying back behind the firing line.

Deidara enjoyed the training session and before the end of the day, Sasori had introduced him to three weapons; a standard handgun, a rifle and also a few melee knife attacks and disarming moves.

"C'mon brat, let's get something to eat," Sasori suggested, walking back through the jungle and away from the training grounds set up in the clearing a few metres away. Sasori couldn't help but marvel at the strange plants that seemed to glow in the dimming light. Many of the flowers were huge possibly a foot in diameter and all shades of blues, purples, reds and greens. Sasori stopped to look at a particularly startling blue flower, when something bumped into him. He heard a startled chirp and looked over his shoulder to see Deidara flat on his back. He couldn't hold back the small chuckle as he pulled the dishevelled Sonda to his feet. He smiled shyly and looked at the flower Sasori had been so captivated by.

"That's a Deisharsti," he said, "They are supposed to make whoever you give one to really happy and give them hope. Mum loved them un."

Sasori nodded and felt one of the petals. They felt like a rose, soft and smooth. He looked back to Deidara and noticed his sad smile. Deciding to move on, he motioned to keep walking. The blonde turned and they silently walked back, admiring the twinkle of the fireflies against the blood red sky.

* * *

Hidan stomped through the ship, searching for his red haired teammate. He hadn't seen the kid all day and was rather bored. His only problem was that where he went, his escort Kakuzu had to follow.

And the guy was a total bastard to him.

"Where is that little fire crotch?" Hidan growled, hopping out of the ship and onto the dry ground.

"You've asked that twelve times already," grunted Kakuzu, rolling his eyes. Hidan scowled and traipsed through the camp. His magenta eyes scanned for a trace of red. Finding one emerging from the jungle thicket closely followed by a mass of blonde, he grinned widely and charged over.

"S'up you bastards! Why'd ya ditch me?" he demanded, stopping in front of his shorter comrade and pulling him into a man hug. Sasori grudgingly returned it, quickly escaping and giving Kakuzu a nod of greeting.

"Hidan, Kakuzu, what do you want?" he asked boredly. Hidan smirked and beckoned for them to follow.

"Just thought you could join us for fucking food," he replied with a shrug, "That bastard is no fun to be with."

Sasori rolled his eyes and turned to Kakuzu.

"Ignore him, he has the IQ of a shrimp and the people skills of a rock," he said, feeling sorry for the stitched up Sonda. Deidara giggled, earning a glare from Hidan.

"Oi Blondie shut the fuck up!" he snapped, "Sasori, you can't say shit about my fucking people skills either! You need to get fucking laid!"

Deidara blushed at being addressed so harshly while Sasori scowled darkly.

"Hidan, I would like you to avoiding making crude comments about my sex life!" he growled, stroking the handle of a knife at his hip. Hidan snickered and waltzed on towards the cafeteria in the main ship. Sasori rolled his eyes and dragged Deidara with him, the blonde being in a slight state of shock from Hidan's comments.

"C'mon brat," he muttered, "Get something to eat. You look exhausted."

Deidara nodded and followed, eager to satisfy his hunger. He quietly began speaking to Kakuzu in his native tongue.

"_Is Hidan nasty to everyone un?" _he asked quietly, nervously avoiding eye contact with the intimidating male. Kakuzu snorted and replied with guttural growls.

"_He is rude, disrespectful and stupid," _he snapped, "_Why Pein thought keeping him was a good idea, I'll never know. I hope all humans are nothing like that little bastard."_

Deidara nodded and went to walk beside Sasori again. The red head decided to ignore the whole chirping and whistling that had been going on behind him. He was still having trouble keeping up his emotionless façade when he heard it; especially after hearing Deidara chirping in his sleep the previous night. Hidan had lain awake pissing himself with giggles rather unbefitting of a man of his stature and temperament after hearing the teenager.

"Sasori, where have you been all day?" demanded a rather disgruntled sounding voice. The red head looked around to see Kisame and Itachi hurrying over to him. He stopped walking, causing Deidara to bump into him again.

"Deidara, you're such a space case," he muttered to his blonde translator, who smiled apologetically. Kisame smirked a little and turned his attention back to his pilot.

"Pein said that he is able to take us to that base tomorrow at sundown," he said quickly, "I've been looking for you all day to tell you. Where were you just out of interest?"

Sasori shrugged.

"Just in the training grounds," he replied, "Needed to brush up on the kid's weapon skills."

Kisame nodded and looked over the blonde teen, who shuffled his feet.

"And how is he?" the captain queried. Sasori smirked and nodded, glancing at the nervous Sonda.

"He did well surprisingly," the red head replied, "Better than half of my classmates, even after they graduated!"

Kisame started snickering and clapped the blonde on the back.

"Nice one kiddo," he chortled, "Then we have no need to worry tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? What's tomorrow un?" Deidara yelped. Kisame smirked.

"The mission of course!" he exclaimed, "You'll be joining the team! Don't worry it'll be fun!"

Deidara swallowed but nodded all the same. They walked towards the dining area together, finding Hidan and Kakuzu seated in the far corner. They all took a seat at their table, Deidara sitting as far from Hidan as he could. Sasori noticed this and gave him a questioning look. The blonde shook his head and focused on his tray of food.

Kisame filled them all in on the mission and what he wanted them to do. Deidara seemed to get a shade paler with every new and difficult sounding detail. Sasori nearly couldn't blame him. A military base in the middle of the jungle, guarded by elite military Sonda would be difficult to infiltrate especially as they were in enemy territory the second they left the rebel camp.

"Right now!" Kisame exclaimed cheerfully, "I expect you all to get a good night's sleep and be bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning when I get your sorry asses on this mission!"

Everyone grumbled and left before Kisame kicked their asses to bed.

"Well that was degrading," Sasori grunted, "I suddenly feel like a child again."

Deidara giggled a little and patted the pilot's head.

"You are small enough un!" he stated cheerfully. Sasori glared at him and grabbed the wrist of the hand rumpling his hair.

"Don't make me hurt you!" he warned. Deidara gulped and nodded, keeping quiet for the rest of the walk back to their room. Once in, they heard Hidan's thunderous snores as he lay with a foot hanging over the edge of his bunk. Sasori sighed and poked the leg back on to the Jashinist's mattress before taking off his own boots, jacket and t-shirt and climbing into his bed.

Deidara did the same and lay down on top of his bed, not bothering with the blanket.

Sasori watched as he stared at the ceiling, his ears moving in various directions as he sighed a few times.

"A penny for your thoughts?" the pilot murmured, careful not to wake the third occupant of the room. Deidara rolled over to face him with a confused expression.

"What un?" he queried, "I don't have any money."

Sasori smirked a little and explained the phrase. Deidara whistled in realisation.

"Oh un," he mumbled, "I'm just nervous about tomorrow un."

Sasori nodded and scratched his head.

"I guess that's understandable," he muttered, "You have only been given basic training; to be given a mission like this so soon is borderline insanity."

"Don't remind me un," Deidara grumbled miserably, "I'm gonna die aren't I?"

Sasori chuckled a little.

"Don't worry brat," he assured him, "In the little time I've known Kisame, I know that he would never come home with a dead comrade. You'll have me as well. Or do you underestimate me?"

Deidara shook his head quickly, his blonde locks flailing about the place.

"No un," he murmured, "I'm not I-I'm just…"

"Scared?" Sasori suggested. Deidara closed his mouth and nodded mutely. The red head gave him a small smile; again a fleeting one, but it was enough to reassure the blonde a little.

"Don't worry, everyone gets scared or nervous before a mission," the pilot stated simply, "You'll get used to them. Just keep focus and it'll be a breeze."

Deidara cocked his head in confusion again but just ignore the last comment. He had no idea what the mission had to do with wind but he just rolled with it. He stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours before finally giving in to sleep.

* * *

"Wakey wakey!" Kisame yelled gleefully. Deidara and Hidan both fell out of their beds and landed in a tangle of limbs on the floor. Sasori bolted up and smacked his head against the bottom of Hidan's bunk. Again.

"Agh! H-Hidan un! I-I can't breathe!" Deidara yelped, his arms flapping about as Hidan attempted to shift his muscular form off of Deidara's much more slender frame. He rolled off to the side, leaving Deidara to gulp down air as he sat up a bit.

"Thanks un," he panted. Hidan smirked and saluted.

"Any fucking time kid!" he grunted, standing up and stretching his arms above his head. Sasori climbed out of his bunk and gathered his things, rubbing his head which was beginning to bruise. He pulled his partner off the floor.

"C'mon you idiots, we have to get prepared for the mission!" Kisame said cheerfully to his dishevelled and irritable team. The three youngest soldiers grumbled incoherent curses and threats at the blue captain as they gathered their shirts and jackets to go to breakfast.

"Okay, you have most of the day to yourselves but don't stray too far from camp," Kisame stated, "We will be given a debriefing at 1700 hours so be at Pein's boardroom sharpish. After that, we have an hour to prepare gear and weapons before we head out with a few trackers."

Everyone nodded and continued to eat, though nerves were getting the better of a certain blonde.

After breakfast, Sasori decided to calm Deidara's nerves by showing him how he made a puppet. This perked his interests and about twenty minutes in, he had almost forgotten that they were going to infiltrate an enemy base and probably get killed in the process.

"So how many puppets have you made un?" Deidara asked curiously as he watched Sasori carve a face into one small puppet. Sasori stopped to think for a moment mentally counting his collection.

"Hmm, about 187," he replied, "Give or take a couple."

Deidara gasped, eyes shining.

"That many un?" he queried, "You must like it a lot un!"

Sasori smirked and went back to carving. He finished the nose and began whittling the eyes in.

"I used to live for art," he muttered, "I wanted to grow up to be an artist but I was pushed into the military by my grandmother. She had initially taught me the techniques of it to break me out of my depression when my parents died. But I loved it."

Deidara smiled and flexed his fingers a few times.

"I know what you mean un," he murmured, "I wanted to be a sculptor! Even when I was little. My mum thought it was great but dad…well not so much. But I had fun and it made mum and my sister smile! Though not when I got clay all over my clothes un."

Sasori smirked and set down his puppet.

"I would like to see your art some time," Sasori said sincerely, "Next time we find clay, you can get some."

Deidara's eyes shined brightly and he chirped merrily.

"Sure un!" he exclaimed, "But keep your eyes open or you'll miss it!"

Sasori blinked and cocked his head.

"Why's that?" he asked. Deidara grinned proudly and mischievously.

"Because art is fleeting! A moment of transient beauty un!" he announced, "My art is a bang! So watch carefully!"

Sasori stared for a moment, his lips forming a perfect 'o'. He then got over his initial shock enough to chuckle a little.

"That is absurd brat!" he stated, "Art is eternal. Something that stands the test of time and the beauty of which never fades."

Deidara shook his head and made a guttural noise of disagreement.

"No un!" he said quickly, "Art is fleeting! Nothing lasts forever. It's impossible. No matter what beauty an object has, it will always fade and disappear!"

Sasori snorted.

"If that was true then how are the creations from thousands of years ago still standing to this day at home?" Sasori countered, "Many of the great ancient civilisations created pieces of art to mark their time in history. They obviously knew that art is eternal or they wouldn't have bothered!"

"But there are also ruins that didn't survive!" Deidara exclaimed, "I've read about those monuments and they require maintenance so they don't count un! True art is fleeting!"

Sasori sighed and rubbed his forehead. This kid was stubborn and although a good quality for a soldier, it was beginning to give Sasori a headache.

"What will it take to convince you that I'm right?" he asked exasperatedly. Deidara thought for a moment before grinning.

"Take me to see those monument things un!" he suggested, "When we end this war! I'll take a look and consider your opinion then! Until then, art is and always will be fleeting un!"

Sasori mulled this over before sticking out a hand.

"Alright, shake on it," he said, smirking. Deidara mirrored his smirk and shook the red head's hand.

"Deal un!"

"But art is still eternal!"

"No it's not un!"

* * *

Everyone was seated around the large round table yet again. Pein and Konan had a map of the local terrain tacked up on a white board.

"Right, the base is here," Pein stated, using a laser pointer, "I will have two Sonda to escort you out there but you will have to infiltrate and get back here on your own. If you have trouble, we won't be able to help you."

Everyone nodded and left to gather weapons. The humans used their own weaponry and their Sonda partners collected native weapons which didn't look much different but held a different technology and design.

Kisame ordered Zetsu and Tobi to stay behind with Pein and help him out with rebel activities as a thank you for letting them go. The final six soldiers headed towards the edge of camp where they were greeted by two Sonda. One was male with messy brunette hair, elongated canines and red triangles tattooed on his cheeks. He wore his bandana around his forehead, keeping his spiky hair out of his dark coloured eyes. The Sonda next to him was a female with pale skin, long navy blue hair and rather unnerving milky white eyes. Her bandana was tied around her neck.

The male called them over with whistles and chirps. Itachi responded to them and Deidara quietly translated.

"They are gonna show us where it is, we need to keep up and we'll be fine un," he muttered. Sasori nodded and gripped his gun a little tighter as they made their way into the thick jungle. He took one last look at the camp with the deep red sky in the background before flashing Deidara a reassuring smirk and beckoning him to follow the team.

* * *

**_Yay! Mission time :D I was wondering for a while on how to introduce their different art opinions but I think I managed it okay. I have a small problem of trying to convince my parents to let me go to Q-Con for the whole weekend acommidation included...the only problem is that registration for it ends on Friday and I have two days to sweet talk my old folks into letting me go -_- the likelihood is low so I may only get to go for a day... Still its a full day at an anime and gaming convention so I can't complain!lol Anyway, pretty please review as I'm a review whore and always want more!^-^ Bye lovelies!_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Hello peeps! I'm still alive...mostly!lol Anyway new chapter. Hurray! And yeah I'm going to Q-Con! :3 Makes me happy!lol Anyway enjoy the new chapter!**_

_**Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto but as far as I know, the creatures are mine :) If I'm wrong let me know!lol**_

* * *

The jungle was eerily quiet, for such a vibrant ecosystem. The air was still and humid, making for a rather uncomfortable atmosphere. The long gone sun had left behind a deep navy blue sky, scattered with blinking stars and a huge moon which glowed a faint blue.

This was the only light that was offered to the human and Sonda soldiers, as they made their way cautiously towards the enemy base. Everyone was deathly silent, eyes sweeping the terrain for any sign of movement and minds focused on a few mind sets.

Find, fight, and survive.

The soldiers were stopped by the trackers, who raised their hands in the universal stop sign. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks and crouched down, to observe the brunette and blunette as they spoke in hushed clicks and chirps to Itachi, as Deidara relayed what they were saying.

"They are leaving us here un," he murmured, "The base is two clicks east of us. We have to go alone. If we wait until just before sunrise, that's when the guard's swap and we can get in."

The female tracker pulled out a small bundle of black and red and handed it to Kisame with a small kind smile, her eyes softening. The blue man took them and noticed four bandanas adorned with the distinctive red clouds. He snickered and gave one to Hidan, Sasori and Deidara. The pilot and the Jashinist tied their bandanas around their necks while Kisame and Deidara tied them around their foreheads.

Kisame thanked the two trackers, who tilted their heads in acknowledgment before disappearing in a blur, scrambling through the heavily grown up terrain. Kisame motioned for everyone left to follow him, slowly through the last of the journey. He called them to a stop when a huge metallic structure came into view.

Sasori and Deidara crouched down and their eyes widened simultaneously at the sight. The base was shaped like a dome, glass and galvanised steel forming the outside, with six large tunnels and nest like structures sticking out.

"Right, guys, we'll be searching the base in pairs," Kisame announced, "In smaller groups, it will be easier to manoeuvre and hide. Hunt for battle plans, names, weapons and anything else of any use to us. We'll meet back here in three hours."

Everyone nodded and waited until they saw the sun begin to peek its huge burning eye over the tree tops. Kisame motioned for them to go, quickly grabbing Sasori's shoulder and whispering in his ear.

"You and the kid are the least experienced so keep him safe Sasori and come back alive," he muttered. The red head nodded.

"I will," he replied smoothly, flashing a tiny smile and motioning to the blonde to follow. They moved to the east of the base, Hidan and Kakuzu went west and around to another entrance and Kisame followed Itachi as they headed straight for the metal building.

* * *

As they walked through the base, Kisame couldn't help but notice how deadly quiet the whole place was. They hadn't encountered any resistance or even a single soul as they had snuck in and began to snoop. A pale hand shot out and dragged him into a small dark space.

"Something is wrong in this place," Itachi muttered, "We should have seen someone by now."

Kisame nodded and gripped his weapon as he looked around critically.

Could this base have been attacked?" he asked quietly. The raven shook his head, nose twitching as he sniffed the air.

"No. It would have either been humans or us," he replied, "We would never attack a base like this so close to the main camp. Plus we would never be able to win against the numbers. Humans would have been noticed and we would have picked up on it."

Kisame frowned and ran a hand over his face.

"If it was us or you then who else is there?" he demanded. Itachi held up a hand, eyes widening slightly as he chirped in shock and frustration.

"Kisame, we have to find the others!" he said quickly, "This could have been a creature attack."

Kisame growled and quickly hopped out of their hiding place and looked down the corridors. Itachi followed swiftly and raised his weapon, ready for any attack. Kisame attempted to reach the others on their headsets.

* * *

"So where the fuck are all the people?" Hidan queried, trudging along the deserted metal tunnels. Kakuzu shrugged and looked around, his eyes narrowed as he stopped. Hidan looked back, magenta eyes laced with exasperation as he turned to face his Sonda partner.

"What the fucks wrong now?" he asked. Kakuzu scowled and dragged Hidan into a small storage room. The silver haired man looked around and blinked.

"Wow, dude, you're not my fucking type," he said quickly, throwing his hands up defensively. Kakuzu rolled his eyes for what felt like the millionth time that day-it was still in the early hours of the morning which made this worrying to him- and smacked the human over the head before pointing out what had caught his interest. Hidan followed the gesture and his eyes widened as he stepped cautiously over to a corpse.

Rolling it over, he wanted to vomit at the sight of the disembowelled Sonda. He appeared to have been eaten from the inside out. Hidan and Kakuzu knelt over the mangled body.

"He must have been dead for at least a week, judging by the smell," Kakuzu murmured, "Whatever did this didn't use a weapon. Those are teeth marks."

Hidan noticed the mauled edges to the gaping, flesh cave and nodded.

"Poor bastard," he muttered, "Can't have been fucking-SHIT HE'S FUCKING ALIVE?"

The two soldiers leapt back as the Sonda's mouth began to move. They watched in horror as a small rat like creature with long claws, three scaly tales with barbs on the end of each and glowing yellow eyes crawled out of it.

"What the fuck is that?" Hidan shrieked, trying to shoot it. Kakuzu grabbed his gun and shook his head.

"Leave it, it's just a rodent," he grunted, "We need to get out of here."

Hidan glared and yanked his weapon from the stitched Sonda's grasp. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Why?"

"Because, we have just walked into a nest."

* * *

Sasori was growing increasingly bored as he walked through several corridors, without a single soldier in sight. The deafening silence was beginning to get to him and his partner who was nervous enough as it was.

"Brat, where could everyone be?" he asked, not really expecting an answer. Deidara shook his head, ears twitching as he strained to hear any sign of life beyond himself and the pilot.

"I have no idea un," he mumbled, "But we should just try to find that information. I think we're close to an office. It should be down here yeah."

Sasori raised an eyebrow at the teen's knowledge but went along with him anyway. True to his word, they found an office with several filing cabinets, all labelled in Deidara's language.

"Danna, over here un," the Sonda said quickly, chirping in excitement when he found documents. They looked important if the large red 'Top Secret' stamp across the front of the folder was anything to go by. Sasori hurried over and looked at it. He opened it up and looked at the writing, cursing a little.

"Translate it," he ordered, shoving it in the blonde's hands as he rummaged through the drawers of the desk.

"Ummm…something about moving the troops…Ensuring enclosed document orders are fulfilled, all rights to commence Operation B12 are reserved to Captain Commander M.U, as stated by the Vice President of the United States? Un?" Deidara blinked several times and glanced up at Sasori who's jaw was somewhere around floor level.

"What the hell does that mean?" he demanded, snatching the document away, "Did they intercept a delivery from human vessels or…something?"

Deidara noticed the disbelief and anger in the pilot's voice. He gathered up the entire folder's contents and took the document gently from Sasori's grasp and placed the folder in his rucksack. Sasori sighed heavily and grabbed his weapon, looking up at Deidara.

"C'mon brat, let's get out and wait for the others," he muttered, pushing past him and padding outside. Deidara began to follow when he heard a strange feral cry. He froze, eyes widening as he recognised the cry.

"D-Danna un," he whispered, shaking. The red head looked back and saw the fear written all over the blonde's face, his blue eyes wider than usual, darting around, his ears flattened completely against his skull. He hurried over to him and grabbed the blonde's shoulders.

"Brat, calm down," he ordered, "What's wrong?"

The blonde broke from his trancelike state and his gaze hardened.

"We have to get out of here," he demanded, "Now!"

Sasori frowned and nodded.

"We were already leaving," he stated coolly, "Why so urgent now?"

Deidara shook his head and grabbed the red head's shoulders.

"The reason there are no soldiers un!" he exclaimed, "We just walked in on a feeding ground!"

Sasori's eyes widened a little but he quickly regained his composure and nodded.

"Right, what is this creature like?" he murmured.

"Aridenas? I'm not sure exactly un," he muttered, "I can't really remember anything except their name but they use sound to track."

Sasori nodded and patted the blonde's shoulder.

"Then we just have to be silent as we get out," he stated quietly, "We have nothing to worry about."

Deidara gave him a weak smile and nodded, ears standing up slightly. Sasori returned his smile with a tiny one of his own and they made their way out of the office and into the metal hall.

"Shouldn't we tell the others un?" Deidara whispered. Sasori shook his head and leaned into his partner.

"If we try to get them over their comms, we may make noise and draw attention to them," he whispered in the Sonda's ear, "We don't know where they are right now."

The teen giggled quietly when the pilot's whispering tickled his ear but he nodded all the same and continued down the corridor. The only sounds were their boots gently tapping against the grated floor and their shallow breaths.

"Stop!" hissed Sasori, pulling the blonde against the wall. Peering around the corner, he saw the creature that Deidara had heard. It was quite large, roughly the size of a buffalo. It had long, muscular legs and a lean well-built body. Its head looked like a cross between some kind of hyena type animal with a long snout, lined with razor sharp teeth, which was currently buried in the stomach of a dead Sonda soldier. Thick spines covered the top of its skull and it's back, get smaller as they went down to the tip of its tail which ended in a small fork. Its eyes were a milky white showing that it was indeed blind.

The two soldiers held their breaths as they waited for the monster to move on. Deidara grasped Sasori's hand, when the creature walked past them, sniffing the air, growling a little when it stopped right next to them.

Sasori shut his eyes as it sniff over him, ruffling his hair with its foul breath, drool dripping from its jaws. Staying deadly still, the creature lost interest and padded on down the halls, its talons clicking against the cold flooring.

Letting go of the breaths they were holding, they peeled themselves off the wall and snuck down the hall towards the creature's dinner.

"Oh my-"Deidara broke off as he threw up on the ground. Sasori rolled his eyes and held the blonde hair back as the teen's breakfast ended up on the floor, adding to the stomach churning smell of rotting flesh and stomach acid.

"C'mon brat, you're gonna see a lot more dead people before the end of this war," he muttered. Deidara glared at him, wiping his mouth and wrinkling his nose.

"Sorry if I don't like see one of my own kind ripped apart un!" he snapped. Sasori was slightly taken aback as he glanced between the dead Sonda and the clearly distressed living one in front of him. He sighed and clapped a hand on the teenager's shoulder.

"Sorry brat, but we really need to get out of here now," he muttered. Deidara nodded, grasping the pilot's forearm, as he stared hard at the ground. Sasori's eyes widened a little as he pulled the blonde to his chest, just in time to avoid another creature. The blonde's eyes widened as he collided with his partner's chest but the grunting from behind explained everything as they stayed stock still for the second time.

Breathing shallowly and in unison, they could feel each other's heartbeats, hammering away inside their ribcages.

The creature moved on slowly disappearing round a corner with a last flick of its two pronged tail. Deidara and Sasori sighed and pulled apart quickly, both blushing slightly.

"We need to go now," the red head whispered. Deidara nodded and they crept down the hall, unfortunately following the creature.

"_Sasori, Hidan come in, it's Kisame, over!"_

Sasori froze as his captain's voice blasted out of his headset. Deidara froze as well.

"Shut him up un!" he hissed, "We're gonna get caught!"

Sasori nodded, trying to talk to his captain.

"Kisame, please shut up!" he muttered, "We can't make a sound, over!"

* * *

"_Kisame, please…we can't…ound, over!"_

The captain frowned and tapped the device, cursing quietly.

"Damn, stupid cheap military shit! Sasori, say again, over," he said into his headset. Itachi was feeling rather fidgety as he dragged the blue captain out of the death trap.

"_Kisame…shut up! Deidara! Run!"_

"Sasori? Deidara? Fuck, Itachi, we have to go help them now!" Kisame demanded, dragging the Sonda back through the halls. Itachi spluttered as he was pulled backwards.

"We have no idea where they are!" he exclaimed, "It would be more reasonable to wait outside and if they don't make it out, then we have to go back."

Kisame sent the raven a death glare.

"Maybe that's how you work kid!" he stated darkly, "But they are my men and I look after my team! No one gets left behind."

Itachi stared at this man before him. He didn't understand it, but he realised exactly why this soldier was a captain. With some hesitation he nodded and ran into the base, using his hearing to find the two youngest soldiers.

"They are east of us," he said quickly, "We must hurry, they are being chased by three of the creatures."

"What are they exactly?" Kisame demanded. Itachi growled and sped up.

"I'm not sure but I would guess that they are Aridenas," he stated, "Very dangerous. They hunt in packs and they take over territories and guard them with lethal force. If Sasori and the kid stumbled upon their feeding ground, then they are as good as dead unless we get there."

Kisame cursed and together they raced down the halls.

* * *

"Did you hear that?" Kakuzu asked sternly. Hidan stopped and listened out for anything. His eyes widened when a yell and a roar were heard.

"Down there!" he exclaimed, running off down the corridor. Kakuzu bolted after him.

"Hidan! Wait you idiot!"

Hidan slowed down and looked over his shoulder just as something huge barrelled into him. He looked up, eyes widening as a huge pair of jaws were opening above him. With a pained yell, a talon pierced through his shoulder as he jammed his rifle in the snout like jaws.

Kakuzu growled at the Aridena and took aim. He fired and the bullet whizzed through the air, piercing the creature's skull. It fell lifelessly crushing the squirming and groaning form beneath it. The stitched ninja hurried over and rolled the corpse off his partner.

"F-fuck, thanks!" Hidan grunted, sitting up and retrieving his saliva drenched rifle. He grinned a little woozily at Kakuzu who looked over the soldier's shoulder. It was a rather deep gash but Hidan simply shrugged him off and together they hurried down the hall to see Sasori and Deidara fighting off three or four of the monstrous beasts.

"Shorty, Blondie!" Hidan yelled, "How you doing?"

Sasori flipped him off and leapt out of the way of an Aridena which had just charged at him. Deidara yelped and fired at another one, leaving just two.

They made quick work of them now that Hidan and Kakuzu where there. They escaped from the site of the fight and hid in a small section of the guard's quarters. Sasori and Deidara flopped on the ground, panting after their ordeal as Kakuzu insisted on fixing Hidan's shoulder.

"If you don't get that treated, then there is a 37% chance that you will bleed to death before we get back to camp, based on how deep your injury is," he said sternly, "Now we have around five minutes before we need to get out of here. Let me stitch you up."

Hidan sighed and nodded grudgingly. He removed his gear and shirt, giving Kakuzu full access to his injury. Sasori saw it and frowned.

"That looks nasty," he remarked. Hidan grinned and poked it.

"Make sure that leaves a fucking scar!" he exclaimed, "I'm fucking proud of that!"

Kakuzu snorted as he pulled out a first aid kit.

"You want a reminder of the time I saved your ass from an Aridena?" he queried, "Be my guest."

Hidan scowled but said nothing for once. Deidara moved closer to Sasori when they all heard another bone chilling roar. Sasori smirked a little.

"Scared brat?" he teased. Deidara shook his head quickly and stood up to look around the room. It was rather thick with dust, proving that no one had been around in a long time. Those creatures must have attacked quite a while ago. Suddenly a thought crossed his mind.

"What about Kisame un?" he asked quickly, "Do you think they know?"

Hidan and Sasori exchanged a glance and shrugged. Sasori gave Deidara a rather bored look.

"There is a reason Kisame is a captain kid," he stated casually, "He's fine and probably looking for us."

Deidara 'ohed' with a little embarrassed chirp. He hopped around from one foot to the other as Hidan began to put all of his gear on again, ditching his shirt as it was ruined with rips and bloodstains.

"All right fuckers, let's roll!" he exclaimed, charging out of the door. Kakuzu sighed and followed slower than his partner.

"Has he ever heard of tact?" he asked sarcastically. Sasori smirked shook his head.

"Nah, but then he wouldn't be Hidan," he remarked, beckoning Deidara to follow. The blonde stayed close to the red head, blue eyes darting around, ears swivelling quickly.

"I hear them," Kakuzu murmured, leading them all down a hall to their right. Sure enough, they rounded a corner to see Kisame and Itachi cautiously creeping around. The blue skinned captain sighed with relief at the sight of his very much alive team.

"Thank god," he muttered, "We are leaving now."

Everyone nodded and murmured in agreement and they all quietly snuck towards an exit. They passed by several Aridenas but used the still and silent tactic until they passed. Thankfully, all the commotion they had made on the other side of the base had drawn the attention of most of the pack and they simply had to pass by the stragglers.

Once safely outside, they ran into the jungle and found the small clearing that they had split up in. Kisame knelt down on the ground, everyone following his example.

"Well that was a damn failure," he growled, "Did anyone find anything except for a pack of blood thirsty monsters?"

Sasori and Deidara exchanged a smirk and Deidara pulled off his backpack.

"Actually un," Deidara murmured, almost shyly, "We found something."

He pulled out the folder and handed it to Itachi who translated it for Kisame, who listened intently, his face changing from confusion to shock to anger. Itachi replaced the document inside the folder and handed it back to Deidara who took it back with a small fleeting smile.

"Who the fuck is M.U?" asked Hidan, picking at his stitches, much to Kakuzu's chagrin. Everyone shrugged except for Itachi who just remanded neutral and silent.

"I think we should go back to camp with this new information," he murmured, "Perhaps Pein-sama will now what this Operation B12 is."

Everyone nodded and agreed with him, except for Deidara. The blonde was staring suspiciously at the male as he looked at the ground, seemingly deep in thought.

* * *

**_Woo! Action and the start of a plot! ^^ I feel rather proud of myself!lol Anyway, I now have just one exam left which is awesome!lol I'm actually sick and tired of exams so much that I have now fallen asleep for at least half an hour in five exams. Several times an examiner has walked up and shook me awake, asking if I was alright! ^^' I was pissed off that they woke me up! Even my parents don't get away with it!_**

**_Anyway, hope you liked the chapter and pretty please review! I love you all! _**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hey guys! I'm trying to give you a chapter at least once a day!lol This probably won't last but hey, can't say I didn't try!lol Anyway, on with the chapter!**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**_

* * *

"The military base was attacked?" Pein queried, "We heard nothing of this."

"That's fucking convenient!" Hidan snorted, promptly being smacked over the head by Kakuzu. Kisame smirked and turned his attentions back to Pein.

"Well apart from almost being ripped to pieces, Deidara and Sasori found some interesting stuff," he stated cheerfully, beckoning the blonde and the redhead forward. They did and Deidara began to rummage around in his backpack. He handed the document to Pein shyly and stood close to Sasori.

Pein scanned over the first document, his strange ringed eyes widening, shock flashing across his face before receding, with the speed of a lightning strike.

"Who has read this so far?" he asked sternly. All six members of the team nodded, showing they knew what the document stated. Pein cursed silently and ordered everyone else out. He slammed the folder down on the table top, causing Deidara to jump rather violently.

"Do any of you know what this means?" he asked, glaring hard at the pieces of paper, willing them to burst into flames as they lay innocently on the metal surface.

"Humans and Sonda on both sides are working together," Itachi said quietly, "We are missing something huge."

Pein nodded, standing straight and began to speak to Konan, urgent clicks and whistles issuing from his mouth. Sasori nudged Deidara expectantly who whispered to him.

"Pein wants Konan to assemble another team to do research on any documents delivered to that base over the last six months un," he whispered, "He wants to find out who delivered this document and track down its origins."

Sasori 'ohed' and watched as Pein paced back and forth chirping to himself. The pilot really had no idea what was wrong but clearly the document had disturbed him. Finally, with his mental breakdown over, he turned to the three soldiers and ordered Itachi and Kisame to stay.

"You four are dismissed," he said, waving away the pilot, the teenager, the Jashinist and the stitched up Sonda. With a united and rather undignified huff, they all left the office, intent on getting showers, food and sleep.

"What the fuck's got Pein in the ass so riled up?" Hidan asked as they hit the showers. The shower rooms were simply low, high ceiling rooms, with shower stalls lining two of the walls. Every surface was either tiled or grated to allow water to flow down into filters, which cleansed and recycled the water.

"Probably this 'Operation B12' thing," Sasori suggested, grabbing a shower and stripping down, "It sounds suspicious."

"You're probably fucking right," the Jashinist exclaimed, hopping in his shower and turning on the water, "And who the fuck is M.U? Ahhh, that's the stuff!"

"Hidan, don't sound like you just had an orgasm in my presence again," Kakuzu snapped from his own shower. Sasori and Deidara burst into snickers as the two soldiers started to argue like no tomorrow.

"Hey Danna un?" Deidara asked, from the stall next to the red head.

"Hm?"

"Um, just…thanks un," he said shyly, "You kinda saved my ass loads of time back there yeah." He was blushing but he would sooner blame it on the steam. Sasori smirked as he rinsed his hair and just let the water stream down his back until the timer ran out.

"No trouble brat," he replied casually.

* * *

Kisame lounged in one of the chairs at the round table, next to Itachi who was unable to stop fiddling with a lock of his hair. Pein was having a hushed conversation with Konan. Kisame was getting impatient and nudged Itachi in the ribs.

"Ya know, for a translator, you really translate nothing," he stated, a little irritably. Itachi's gaze flickered from his hair to his two leaders. He shrugged.

"They aren't saying very much," he replied, "Just talking about another group to send back into the base and get rid of the Aridena, then search for more information."

Kisame sighed and set his feet up on the table, carefully not to ruin any of the documents or maps strewn across it. Itachi remained entirely neutral to the blue skinned human and his boredom.

Finally, Pein decided to give Kisame the time of day and informed him of his troubles.

"Captain Hoshigaki," he began, "I would like for you and your team to lend us your skills and strength in a bid to discover more about this 'Operation B12'. The contents of this document are rather disturbing and I would like to go over it all with you."

"Shoot," Kisame replied, sitting up properly. Pein took a deep breath and pointed to the documents.

"There are instructions in this folder, ordering the military to frame human soldiers for the massacres of several Sonda settlements," he explained, "The quota is for the murders of 20,000 civilians. Once that is completed, then this Captain Commander M.U is given full permission to commence this B12."

Once Pein had finished, Kisame and Itachi were both considerably paler, if that was even possible for the raven haired Sonda. Kisame cleared his throat.

"What about the civilians?" he asked nervously. Pein sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I have already chosen several teams to be deployed to the areas that were specifically mentioned in this quota. They will be evacuating and defending everyone that they can. I request that Tobi and Zetsu go with them as well," he explained, "In the meantime, the only ones who know exactly what is in this document are you six. That is why I want you to discover more about it. Whether it is agreed on both sides; who passed this and what influences that they have over each race."

"We'll do it," Kisame said determinedly, "This damn war is pointless anyway. If this can stop it, I'm up for it."

Pein nodded with a genuine almost smile. His feline, ringed eyes flickered over Itachi and the captain before he sat down and began to give them his next missions for them.

* * *

The sun was setting over the horizon as Sasori and Deidara walked back from the training grounds yet again. After his, in his own opinion, poor performance on his first mission, Deidara insisted that Sasori teach him more about weapons and fighting.

"I did tell you I would be harsh," the pilot stated lazily as he helped the blonde walk-or limp- back to the ship. The teen smiled and chirped, before hissing in pain as they headed for their quarters. Opening the door, they were greeted by Hidan and Kakuzu.

The Jashinist had refused treatment at the medical tents and so, Kakuzu forced Hidan to allow him to properly care for the wound, since any setbacks in such dangerous circumstances could prove deadly for anyone around Hidan, not just himself.

"S'up fuckers?" the silver haired male called enthusiastically, "What the fuck happened to you Blondie? You look like hammered shit!"

Deidara grinned weakly as he lay down on his bunk, leaving Sasori to grab some ointment for minor injuries.

"He asked me to train him," Sasori replied casually, "I warned him but since when does anyone listen to me?"

Hidan cackled at the red head sarcastic tones as Kakuzu finished bandaging up his shoulder again. With a nod and a small, slightly hesitant thanks from Hidan, the stitched ninja left the room, leaving much more room for Sasori to help out his partner.

"Right brat, shirt, lose it," Sasori said sternly, throwing the ointment at the blonde and dumping all his weapons in the corner with his gear. The blonde quickly pulled off his shirt, and sat on the edge of the bed, giving Sasori full access to his cuts and scratches. The red head sat next to him and began dabbing the cream on the Sonda's body. Sasori marvelled at how toned the kid was with no military background. His skin was very smooth and fair, except for the bruises which looked like coloured water, carelessly splashed on his body, much like on a canvas.

"So you getting any better kid?" Hidan asked from his top bunk, starring at the ceiling. Deidara blushed a little uncertain of the answer. Sasori did though.

"Of course he is, I'm teaching him," he drawled, smirking a little as the blonde blushed harder at the memories of being defeated so thoroughly. Sasori continued.

"Of course, even under my tuition, these things take time. But I wouldn't worry."

Deidara smiled shyly, hissing a little as Sasori dabbed a rather large cut on his wrist. Hidan chuckled and propped his head up on his elbow.

"If that's the fucking case, then maybe a little friendly fucking fight is in order," he said teasingly, "What do ya say Shorty? May I have the _honour_ of seeing you in action?"

Sasori smirked and glanced up at Hidan, brown eyes shining with confidence.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked nonchalantly. The Jashinist hopped down and stared down the pilot, brown pools meeting magenta in a heated gaze.

"Ya know, I think that fucking is," he replied, smirking, "It's only right I get to test the newbie on proper fucking terms!"

Sasori nodded and they shook on it. Deidara watched the exchange with very nervous blue eyes. He did not like the idea of these two fighting at all. Even in a friendly fight, with their temperaments, things could-no _would_- turn ugly and fast!

"Umm, is that a good idea un?" he queried, his voice shaking a little. Sasori smirked and patted his head somewhat patronisingly.

"Don't worry brat, it's a friendly fight," he stated, "no weapons just fists. Right Hidan?"

"Fucking right," he snickered back. This did little to ease the Sonda's nerves. No weapons? These guys were trained to kill with their bare hands.

"Just don't die un," he muttered with a weak smile. Sasori nodded, a small reassuring smile on his lips as they all went to sleep, shutting out the lights.

* * *

They stared at each other, neither breaking the deadly glares that they sent each other. Both males were shirtless as they stood in the middle of the clearing, nervous eyes as well as interested ones watching them.

"Fight!"

They raced towards each other, the silver haired male swiping punches at his smaller more agile opponent. After deflecting a few blows, the redhead aimed for a few vital spots. Getting in a few punches himself, he was thrown back after a swift kick to the chest.

"Give up yet Shorty?" Hidan teased, taunting the smaller male. Sasori smirked and stood up, spitting away some blood. He fell into a defensive stance, waiting for Hidan to make his move. The Jashinist raced forward, aiming a punch for the stomach. Sasori grabbed the incoming wrist and twisted, causing Hidan to flip with the arm, startling Sasori, who was not expecting the punch aimed at his. Knuckles collided with his cheek, causing a sickening crunch as he fell back, blood sliding down his cheek from an open cut.

Hidan lifted his bloody hand to his face and licked the blood away with a grin.

"You done yet kid?" he called, laughing manically. The red head grinned back and shook his head, feeling a little woozy but all the same, exhilarated.

"Never," he retorted, rushing his opponent. They both ran at each other, fists raised and about to connect with faces.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?"

Both males started and crashed into each other, landing in a tangle of limbs. All people watching the fight looked up to see a positively livid captain, fuming at the sight of the two males, who were currently attempting to detangle from each other.

"I expected this kind of juvenile behaviour from Hidan but you Sasori?" Kisame snarled, "That was no damn friendly sparring match! What were you trying to prove huh?"

The two soldiers stood there, waiting for their captain to calm down.

"In enemy territory, you never start to fight your comrades, supposedly under friendly terms or not!" he stated coldly, "We are at constant risk here and injured soldiers put everyone in danger."

Sasori and Hidan began to understand why their Captain was so angry. They looked each other over and realised how beaten up they both were. Sasori had a smashed cheek bone and his lip was swollen and bleeding. Hidan was covered in bruises and had several nasty cuts.

"Both of you, get to the medical tents then get out of my sight until the next missions!" Kisame snapped. Both soldiers left in silence, all of the other Sonda leaving bar Deidara who watched in slight fear as Kisame plopped himself down on a log and put his head in his hands, sighing heavily. Deidara looked confused and edged closer, very slowly, as though he was getting closer to a wild animal.

"What is it kid?" Kisame asked, sounding tired. Deidara blushed a little but sat down next to him.

"Why were you so angry un?" he asked quietly, "They promised if they got hurt badly they would stop."

Kisame chuckled a little, but there was no humour in his eyes.

"Kid, I've been in the military for fourteen years," he said a little harshly, "I've seen a lot of shit. When this war started, shit really hit the fan. I've seen some good friends die for this pointless cause and I don't intend to let my team die either."

Deidara remained silent as the captain talked. He wasn't certain where this was going but he was shit scared of Kisame and would let him speak.

"I had a pilot before Sasori," he said slowly, "Damn good soldier and one of my closest friends. He was a little crazy but then again, we all were. Anyway, one mission, we got into some deep shit behind enemy lines. We were pinned down and had to wait for evac. The crazy bastard took a bullet for me. For me. His last words to me were, 'get 'em all out'! Well, that's what I did! And from then on, I vowed, to never come home without a team mate, ever again."

Deidara watched as the man before him, poured out his darkest hours to him, just a teenager. He imagined that losing a comrade would be like losing a brother. Sitting quietly, he watched as the blue skinned man chewed on his lip and stared hard at the ground. The blonde stared at the ground and murmured the words he had learned from Sasori.

"Um…sorry for your loss un." Kisame looked at him in surprise. He chuckled a little and patted the blonde on the back, almost knocking the wind out of his small frame.

"Don't worry kid, he died the way he wanted to the crazy coot!" he stated, grinning a little less cheerfully than usual, "But, you get why I need you guys to take this shit seriously. Hidan is a complete moron with utter disregard for his own life and I don't think Sasori has realised the gravity of the situation."

Deidara nodded mutely. Kisame smirked and stood up to leave. He had started to walk away when Deidara called out to him.

"Kisame un. Why are you telling me this?"

Kisame looked back and blinked at the young blonde. He grinned and turned completely to face him.

"That's simple kid," he stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "The minute we saved you from those military bastards, you were a member of my team. Even if none of us realised at the time. You just fit in."

Deidara's face lit up, his feline eyes shining, ears perked up and flickering with happiness. He smiled and hurried to follow his captain back to the rebel camp. They were just about to leave when Kisame stopped and looked around towards the other side of the clearing. He squinted through the foliage, suspicion crossing his blue face. Deidara followed his gaze nervously, feline eyes watching intently.

"What's wrong un?" he asked. Kisame shook his head and shrugged.

"Eh, just thought I heard someone," he replied, "C'mon, let's go find those idiots. Hope they did what they were told or I'm gonna kick their asses all the way back to Earth!"

Deidara giggled nervously and followed, secretly hoping that he wouldn't have to witness the fearful sight of an angry Kisame again.

* * *

**_Okay, I'm sorry if Kisame's behaviour was OOC but I want him to be a good captain who always wants the best out of his team but also understands his responsiblity as a captain. I think Kisame has great leader qualities since he is loyal and pretty fearless which is a reason as to why he is a captain in my story. I also think that it will bring the characters closer together if they show their trust develope with more they are willing to reveal. Since Deidara is still just some kid that they managed to pick up, he still won't be completely trusted but he is more so than Kakuzu and Itachi, since they were just assigned to the team. In time maybe they will earn trust. Even being on the same side doesn't automatically earn respect or trust so that's why their interactions are not moving so quickly._**

**_Anyway enough of me rambling!lol Hope I ddn't give anything away!^^' lol So hope you liked the chapter and have a nice day! :D Pretty please review! They make me update faster! _**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hey guys! I went to my first ever anime convention yesterday and it FUCKING ROCKED! XD I bought an Akatsuki cloak and loads of Pocky! X3 Anyway, new chapter here, I'll tell you more about it later!lol**_

_**Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!**_

* * *

Sasori winced as a Sonda nurse treated his broken cheek bone. He was beginning to regret taking on Hidan's challenge but then again, he had enjoyed the rough fight. It was fun, regardless of what Kisame had said.

"Ow," he growled, when she began applying stitches. The blonde haired Sonda narrowed her pale blue eyes and muttered something along the lines of 'whiny little human'. The pilot was about to retort when a familiar chirp sounded behind him. He turned and smirked at Deidara who was smiling and running over to him.

"Hi Danna un," he said happily, "Glad you're not badly hurt. Kisame was mad but he's better now."

Sasori nodded but his face was pulled around and the blonde nurse kept a form hold on his chin as she continued to fix him up. The redhead was beginning to hate nurses.

"You will stay here tonight," she stated, once finished. Sasori scowled and stood up to leave, being pushed back down by the very tall Sonda. She glared at him with her icy blue eyes, daring the human to go against her.

"Fine whatever," he snapped, sitting on the bed. Deidara sat down next to him with a smile.

"Don't worry Danna un," he uttered, "Hidan is stuck here too!"

Sasori looked around, suddenly noticing the curses streaming from the far end of the tent, to see Hidan was actually strapped down to one of the hospital beds, thick black strings securing his arms, legs, waist and torso. He was thrashing against them, while a few of the Sonda attempted to put a sedative in him.

"Maybe now he'll get that shoulder properly treated," Sasori mused, turning his back on the now intoxicated soldier. He lay down on his bed and looked over Deidara who was seemingly staring into space, his eyes unfocused and body hunched over.

"Something wrong brat?" he asked casually. The blonde jumped and shook his head quickly at the pilot, with a quick smile.

"Um, no nothing…un," he muttered, "Just was wondering where Kisame went."

Sasori sat up and looked around, catching a flash of blue outside the tent. He pointed him out to Deidara.

"There he is." Deidara looked at him and giggled.

"He still looks a little 'pissed off' I think you say," he said, smiling. Sasori narrowed his eyes.

"Deidara, stop listening to Hidan," he said sternly, "If he is teaching you curses, I'll kick his ass."

"You've done enough of 'kicking Hidan's ass' Sasori," Kisame's voice boomed through the tent, "Now do what these medics tell you or I will personally kick your ass to Earth and back here again!"

The pilot cringed a little but mostly managed to maintain his aloof composure, while kicking Deidara who was attempting to stifle a terrible case of chirping and songlike giggles.

Kisame smirked at them and looked around for his right hand man, who he found unconscious at the other end of the tent.

"I apologise for that moron," he stated cheerfully, "Feel free to poison his food. He's magic and probably won't die anyway."

"Magic un?" Deidara queried, cocking his head to the side. Sasori smirked at the kid's almost cute cluelessness.

"I'll explain it later kid," he said, earning a pout.

Kakuzu and Itachi were standing outside the tent, watching their human charges and teenage Sonda with fascination and almost amusement.

"_That Hidan is the most annoying creature I have ever come across,"_ Kakuzu stated, both speaking in their native tongue. Itachi smirked, ears flickering.

"_I do not envy you," _he replied, _"I do not mind Captain Hoshigaki. He has many…admirable qualities. He refused to leave any of his team to the Aridena when we were escaping."_

"_They are all interesting,"_ Kakuzu noted, _"Although the kid is rather…weird. His behaviour is not normal. And he seems too close to that pilot, Akasuna."_

Itachi narrowed his eyes at the blonde as he talked to Sasori, using hand gestures and smiling widely, like he didn't have a care in the world.

"_Perhaps he is just a carefree child,"_ Itachi suggested, _"He would hardly pose as a threat to us. We could easily kill him if he turned on us."_

Kakuzu sighed, ears drooping a little as he felt rather bored.

"_I doubt we would need to kill him,"_ he replied, _"He's just some kid they stumbled across."_

Itachi nodded and they both remained silent as they watched Hidan wake up and act like a drunkard which actually proved highly amusing as he flirted with the nurses and cussed out his captain who promptly kicked him in the gut.

"I give up on you idiots," Kisame sighed, laughing at the same time. He walked out of the tent, saying goodbye to Deidara and Sasori and greeted the two Sonda.

"Itachi, Kakuzu," he nodded in acknowledgement, "I need to tell Pein about my 'oh so clever soldiers' conditions."

They both nodded and the three males made their way towards the mother ship.

* * *

Lying awake, Sasori stared at the top of the medical tent as he listened to the sounds of the surrounding jungle. He was amazed anyone could sleep with all of this racket from the creatures that were lurking around in the trees and foliage. After the encounter with the Aridena, he knew he did not want to think about what horrors might be stalking the camp.

Feeling restless, he got out of bed and went for a short walk. He meandered around several supply crates and walked around the camp. He was drawn to a small secluded space on the outskirts of the camp. He sat down on the grassy ground and rested his back against one of the legs of the mother ship. Tilting his head back, he took in the beautiful velvety sky. He knew the constellations back on earth. Remembering the first time he had really studied them, with his mother, brought a small nostalgic smile to his face.

"You look sad un."

Sasori's gaze snapped down to see his small blonde partner who was watching him with a furrowed brow and worried blue pools. The red head shrugged and looked up at the sky again.

"Just remembering," he murmured. Deidara sat down next to him, long slim legs elegantly crossed as he star gazed with the pilot. Sasori smirked a little.

"What are you doing here brat?" he asked, internally laughing as the Sonda scrambled around for an answer.

"Well… I c-couldn't sleep and I-I thought I would come and see you and Hidan un," he replied, "But you were gone so I went looking for you."

Sasori nodded but said nothing as they sat and enjoyed the cool night breeze. Sasori soon became aware of a light humming sound and looked to his right to see his partner, eyes shut and body swaying slightly to the sound.

"What's that song?" Sasori asked quietly. The blonde opened his eyes and regarded the pilot quietly before answering.

"I don't remember un," he said sadly, "I just remember the tune. Mum used to sing it to me and my sister."

Sasori nodded and patted his shoulder. Deidara smiled a little and leaned his head back, feeling sleepy. They sat in silence, just enjoying the peace and the company. An hour or so had passed when something leaned against his shoulder. The pilot looked down and saw the sleeping face of the teenager resting against him. With a small smile, he looked back up at the sky which was now streaked with pale pink and orange.

"Sleep well brat."

* * *

"Where are they?" Kisame demanded, kicking Hidan awake. The soldier groaned from being awoke so early but seeing the livid face of his captain, he tried to compose himself.

"Who?" he asked, rubbing his face. Kisame rolled his eyes and pointed to the vacant bed that had once held a short, red haired pilot.

"Sasori and Deidara," he said patronizingly, "The kid was gone this morning and I thought he was here."

Hidan sat up and looked around, blinking.

"How the fuck would I know, I was fucking sleeping like normal people," he grunted, standing up and grabbing his shirt and boots, "I'll fucking look for them."

"That won't be necessary," Itachi said, striding up to them, "I found them."

Kisame thanked the raven and hurried outside with him, intent on finding his pilot and add on. He was about to question Itachi's judgement as they reached the edge of the camp but was soon shut up. His pilot was fast asleep, his head rested on top of the blonde teen's head who sleeping against him

"Well that answers one question," Kisame chuckled, approaching the sleeping pair, "Oi, rise and shine!"

Sasori's eyes snapped open as he lurched forward, startling the blonde, who yelped in alarm. Looking around, Sasori visibly relaxed when he saw it was just Kisame. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and grabbed the hand offered to him by his captain.

"How long were we asleep?" he asked, pulling the blonde to his feet, holding him up as he swayed. Kisame smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"All night apparently, you both look freezing," he remarked, taking in their pale skin and the teenager's shivering. Sasori groaned and rubbed his neck trying to work the stiffness out.

"Well what did you want us for anyway?" he asked, a little groggily, making his way into the ship where all his gear was. Kisame blinked, a thoughtful looking crossing his face before he had a light bulb moment.

"Oh yeah, Pein said that he has a mission for us regarding a possible lead on Operation B12," he said excitedly, "No time for you and Hidan to rest, there's a small window and its closing!"

Sasori groaned and picked up the pace to their quarters. Kisame snickered as they hurried along, Sasori wincing every now and again from his throbbing cheek. Kisame waited outside while Sasori and Deidara kitted up, Deidara getting scolding for nearly putting his armour on the wrong way due to his sleepy state.

After several minutes of rushing, cursing and a few bumped heads, the redhead and the blonde were somewhat presentable and Kisame dragged them off to the briefing room which was becoming a second home to the soldiers.

"I'm demanding a damn pay rise for this," Sasori grumbled, drawing giggles from his partner.

They all sat down at the circular table, not bothering to wait for the invitation that was going to come anyway. Sitting next to their partners, they waited for Pein to tell them about the mission.

"We still have a team tracking down the courier who sent the folder to the base," he stated, "The base has been cleared of the Aridena and it is safe to move around. This team however are going on a rather different mission."

Everyone listened intently, both human and Sonda ears perked. Pein smirked at their enthusiasm and continued.

"There is a prison, on the outskirts of one of the large cities. We have plausible Intel that a prisoner of war is held there. This prisoner seems to know a lot about government movements since he used to be in a high ranking position. I need you to break him out."

Everyone nodded, although Kakuzu a little stiffly. They were dismissed and went to grab weapons and equipment. Hidan threw down their ruck sack from the rack above Deidara's bunk, since the other two were shorter.

"Hey did you fucking notice Kakuzu was all antsy and shit?" he asked, passing a pack to Sasori who shook his head as he shrugged it on.

"No I didn't notice him acting different," he replied, sheathing knives into holsters around his calf, hip and upper arm. Hidan looked expectantly at Deidara who shook his head as well.

"No, sorry un," he said, preoccupied with adjusting his firearms. Hidan grunted and walked out of the room, already set for the next mission. Sasori watched him go before turning to help the kid out with tightening the straps on his pack.

"What was he on about?" he asked boredly, "I think he doesn't actually mind Kakuzu as much as he is letting on."

Deidara smiled a little and nodded, watching Sasori's nimble fingers work as he gave a thoughtful expression.

"Maybe they are secret friends un," he suggested with a grin, "They do like each other but they need to keep up appearances!"

Sasori chuckled a little and rapped his knuckles off Deidara's helmet, pushing him out of the room.

"Whatever you say brat," he said, striding off to find the team. Deidara smiled softly and hurried after him, not wanting to get left behind.

They found everyone outside a small combat craft, getting ready to board. Kisame grinned at their approach and beckoned them forward.

"Ah Akasuna, can't have a space craft without a pilot now can we?" he chuckled, "Get your ass in that cockpit and be ready to have this baby fly."

The redhead nodded and dragged Deidara up inside the metal vehicle. After dumping his gear in a locker like compartment, he told Deidara to sit in the seat closest to him and strap himself in. Once the blonde was secure, Sasori settled in the pilot's chair and did a full systems check. Deidara was naturally fascinated.

"What are you doing Danna?" he asked curiously, ears twitching in excitement. Sasori rolled his eyes a little but answered all the same.

"Just making sure the ship is flight and combat ready," he stated, "Don't want to get going and then realise something doesn't work."

Deidara nodded and proceeded to ask every question under the sun until Sasori had to physically fight the urge to bash his head off the radar screen. Thankfully, he was rescued by the arrival of his team. Once everyone was ready and Kisame gave him the go ahead, he took off, rising out of the camp and skimming over the tree tops towards his first Sonda city visit. If they got that far.

* * *

**_Woo! New mission time! X3 Anyway, yes convention thing! went with a group of about 14 people but only a few dressed up! We had Minato from Persona 3, Karin and Sasuke from Naruto Shippuden and a few of us just wore anime stuff! I'm going next year as Deidara! We had a DDR contest which is really difficult in a full length Akatsuki cloak and there was loads of other games so I watched a few Duel Monsters games and Super Smash Bros competitions! There was also an art competition and I was soooooo jealous of some of the talent, they were insanely good!O.O _**

**_Anyway, review and I will give you some of my pocky!^^_**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Yellow again! I'm being good and updating quicker :) Not sure how long this is going to last but hey, I'm trying!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own anything...yet...*shifty eyes and hides the M4A1***_

* * *

"This city we are headed to was bombed several times in the last few months," Kakuzu explained, "There is still radiation left over from it. The outskirts should have minimal radiation, but it will still affect us, since our body structure is more delicate than yours."

Kisame nodded and ordered the three Sonda to suit up in the light weight radiation suits as precaution. Sasori guided the combat craft, drifting over lakes, a desert and several jungles before they reached a built up area, covered with skyscrapers, roads and tracks. The whole city looked dead, derelict and abandoned. The sky around it was darkened with toxic looking clouds and everything had the air of decay.

"Touch down three clicks left of us Sasori, we'll continue from there on foot," Kisame said. The redhead nodded and landed the ship in what could have once been a car park.

"Everyone, put on breathing apparatus," Kisame ordered, "The toxin levels in this place will kill you in minutes."

The three humans kitted up like Kisame said and the Sonda were ready with their radiation suits. They also packed an extra set of breathing apparatus for the prisoner. Once everyone was prepared, they walked down the ramp and exited the ship.

Taking a good look around, Sasori noted that for being so close to a city, they still appeared to be in the middle of nowhere. All he could see was a concrete wasteland, bits of metal fluttering uselessly in the winds, which were picking up, not a living thing in sight.

"Right, Kakuzu, you know where this place is?" Kisame called above the wind. The stitched up Sonda nodded.

"Right, Kakuzu take point, Hidan, Itachi cover his flanks, Sasori and Deidara, you guys cover their six and I'll bring up the rear."

The soldiers shifted to form a triangular formation, all guns poised and ready, all senses alert to the slightest sign of danger.

"The prison is up ahead," Kakuzu called, motioning to a drab grey building surrounded by high, razor wire fences made of thick sheets of steel, with several watchtowers at six areas, making a hexagonal formation.

"How are we gonna get in there un?" Deidara asked, his voice a little shaky. Kakuzu smirked and began to approach the cruel looking structure.

"The same way I got out," he replied. Nobody felt like questioning the man if he had managed to escape from what looked like a twisted playground for the most ruthless of the Sonda race.

The stitched ninja guided them to a blind spot next to one of the wall. It was perfectly hidden from the flood lights situated in the tower above their heads. Kakuzu crouched down against the wall and pulled out blue prints of the prison.

"Pein gave this to me for the mission, since I have been here before," he explained, "The one we need is prisoner 0237#25. He will be in the maximum security wing. This is where it gets tricky. The building is split into three key areas. The outer ring of the building is low level security; the middle section is medium security and maximum security is the very centre of the compound."

Almost everyone groaned, except for Itachi and Kakuzu. Kisame ran a hand through his blue Mohawk hair and narrowed his eyes a little at the blueprints.

"So how did you escape?" he asked, running his fingers over the small letters of 'maximum security'. Kakuzu pointed to a vent system.

"I killed my escort when I was being transferred from medium to maximum security," he stated simply, "I ripped a cover off a vent and navigated my way through the ventilation system until I got to the service shaft. From there I escape through the sewers which open out into the ravine a few miles from here."

Deidara, Sasori and Hidan's jaws were at around floor level, staring at the man before them in awe and fear. Kisame was impressed and Itachi remained neutral as usual. Once everyone had recovered from their states of shock, Kisame devised the plan of entry.

"Kakuzu, the only way in here is to either get arrested or sneak in without detection, correct?" he asked, to which Kakuzu nodded. With a smirk the captain tapped a watch tower on the blueprints.

"The walls are not climbable since we would be cut to ribbons on the razor wire," he stated, "However, the towers are climbable. We would just need to climb a tower without getting caught in the spotlight and take out the guards at the top."

Kakuzu nodded.

"We can take out these three towers," he said pointing to tower 3, 4 and 5, "There are usually two guards in each tower, meaning if we go up in pairs this will be easy."

Kisame agreed and sent the soldiers to their assigned towers. Deidara and Sasori crept up to tower 4. Deidara looked up and gulped a little at the tall frame of steel.

"Um, D-Danna un, are we really gonna climb this?" he asked, ears drooping. The pilot glanced up and nodded.

"Yeah, we aren't gonna get in any other way," he replied casually, securing his weapons and beginning to climb, "C'mon brat, the sooner you climb, the sooner it's over."

Deidara swallowed again and cautiously began to climb. Sasori watched the movements of the floodlights as he climbed higher, staying aware of Deidara's position as well. His brown orbs narrowed at the movement of one particular light.

"Deidara get down," he ordered, dropping down and shoving the blonde into the corner, hiding them both from the light. The Sonda chirped in alarm and trembled a little from the shock of being moved so fast. He clung to the pilot, breathing deeply as Sasori watched the floodlight pass over them.

"You alright?" he asked quietly, regarding the teen. He nodded slowly, breathing a thank you. Sasori smirked and flipped away from him, climbing again, beckoning the Sonda upwards. Deidara recovered from his small shock and followed the redhead, eager to get back on solid ground.

Reaching the top, Sasori, waited for Deidara to get up before making a move.

"I'll take them out, you wait here," Sasori whispered. The blonde grimaced but nodded. The pilot waited for the first guard to walk past. Priming himself, he sprung forward and grabbed him, hurling the figure over the edge. Deidara paled as he watched the Sonda fall to the ground and impact with a sickening crunch. His work mate walked over and suffered the same treatment. Climbing over, Sasori grabbed Deidara's arm and pulled him up as well.

"Right brat, check that Kisame and Itachi are there as well, then we'll get to the next objective."

They each hurried to the opposite sides of the tower. Deidara arrived in time to see Itachi slit one guard's throat as Kisame smothered another. He swallowed the bile rising in his throat and called out to his partner.

"They are ready un."

Sasori nodded and turned away from the sight of Hidan and Kakuzu snapping the necks of their guards. Crouching down by the inner wall, Sasori spoke into his headset.

"Kisame, Kakuzu, our tower is down over."

"_Copy that, Sasori, moving on to second objective. Our side of the compound is dark, stick to it."_

"Copy your last," Sasori said, turning to Deidara, "Right, we can go down and rendezvous with the others. Then we will go into the prison, alright?"

The blonde nodded, drawing a shaky breath. Sasori smirked.

"You'll be fine, we just need to get this guy and get out," he assured him. Taking in the kid's pale face and somewhat jumpy exterior, the pilot wasn't so sure that this mission was a good idea for him. Pushing aside his doubt he flashed a small reassuring smile and guided the blonde towards the ladder down to the ground.

Deidara gratefully slid down the ladder with surprising ease and gracefully landed on the ground, weapon raised as Sasori followed him down.

They made their way towards the building complex and linked up with their captain and fellow teammates. They jogged over, keeping low.

"No trouble?" Kisame queried. Everyone shook their head and they proceeded to sneak into the building, via the air ducts. Hidan took one look and freaked.

"Fuck no, I can't do that," he hissed, glaring at Kakuzu as Kisame and Itachi crawled in. The scarred Sonda rolled his eyes.

"What do you mean, you idiot?" he asked, "It's easy and there is enough room to crawl through. Even I have enough room to move."

Hidan bit his lip, drawing blood before pulling his partner down and whispering in his ear.

"I'm fucking claustrophobic," he whispered, cheeks going red with embarrassment. Kakuzu regarded his partner before nodding and slapping his shoulder.

"Deidara, Sasori, go ahead, tell Kisame we will be through in a moment," he said sternly. The pilot and the teenager nodded and began to crawl through the ducts. Kakuzu motioned towards the dark opening.

"Look in and see, it's not that tight," he stated, "I'll be right behind you, so I can help you out. You will not get stuck Hidan, trust me."

The silver haired male knelt down and allowed his magenta eyes to scan the vent. He cautiously began to crawl in, breathing deeply as he went. He began to army crawl through, keeping his mind on Kakuzu's presence behind him, which was strangely making him feel safe.

Finally, he saw light in front of him and he saw Deidara climbing out. With a grin he sped up, crawling faster. Suddenly, he lurched forward, his backpack getting stuck on something. He struggled a little, breathing becoming shallow and panicked.

"K-Kakuzu, I'm stuck," he growled, "I c-can't move!"

His partner quickly unstuck him and crawled up next to him.

"Hidan calm down, or you're gonna get us caught," he hissed. The human soldier latched onto the Sonda's larger frame, breathing deeply, "Right, move forward, you're almost there."

Hidan nodded and crawled forward, his body falling out of the vent and sprawling on the floor. Kakuzu climbed out much more gracefully, pulling his partner to his feet.

"Well done, idiot," he drawled, patting the soldier on the head. He grinned a little before realising he was being mocked and aimed a punch for the Sonda's head, which was easily dodged. Kisame chuckled and grabbed his second in command.

"Right idiot, we're only inside the prison," he stated, "Sasori, Deidara, you two need to find the control room. Take out the guards and hack into the computers. Put the video feed on a loop and also guide us through the place."

The two youngest teammates nodded and they left once given their directions to the control room.

"Right, Deidara, this place is hostile until we get to that room," Sasori murmured, "From now on, all unknowns are hostile and you are to shoot to kill."

Deidara nodded, as he fixed a silencer to his weapon, like Sasori had shown him in training. What he wouldn't give to be back in that clearing, where the targets were made of metal and paint.

They hurried through the corridors, Sasori taking down most of the hostiles. They came to a T-junction and stopped to check both corners. The pilot looked back and motioned down the hall.

"The control room is just down here," he muttered, beginning to make his way towards it. Deidara's eyes widened.

"Danna get down," he exclaimed, shoving the smaller male out of the way as a guard fired from a small corner. Sasori's eyes widened and he growled as he heard the pained cry. He fired and hit the offender right in between the eyes.

"Deidara," he hissed, falling beside the whimpering Sonda, eyes narrowing at the bullet wound in his leg. He pulled one of the teen's arms over his head and helped him limp towards the control room, shooting at another guard. Making it into the control room, he dumped the blonde against the wall and killed both of the guards in an epic melee attack.

"Hang on brat, you'll be alright," he said quickly, locking the door shut and inspecting his partner's injury. He sighed seeing it was a through and through. Thankfully he didn't have to pull out any fragments. He quickly grabbed a first aid kit and wrapped it up, Deidara breathing deeply, groaning in pain. Sasori smiled reassuringly and patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Deidara, we'll get back to camp and get you healed," he said, drawing a shaky smile and a nod. The redhead hurried over to the computers and began to work while trying to get hold of Kisame.

"Captain, Deidara's been shot, we need to work fast," he said sternly.

"_Shit, how bad is he?"_

With a fleeting glance back, eyes widening a little at the pale face and the small blood pool, the pilot replied quickly, "Not great, the bullet hit his femoral artery but he's conscious."

"_Alright, we are already in the maximum security area, we just need to find the prisoner."_

"Copy that."

* * *

Kisame cursed and ordered them to speed up in their search. Kakuzu led the way towards the holding cells of the prisoners. Turning a corner, they ran past several cells, all prisoners shouting and launching themselves at the bars as they ran past.

"Prisoner 0237#25 is up head," Kakuzu shouted above the screaming prisoners, "This way."

They ran up to a row of cells which ended with a huge metal door, with heavy locks all over it. Itachi pulled out a kicker charge and attached it to the door. Everyone stood back and Itachi blew the charge. Kisame charged into the room and swept the room.

There was no one there except for a small form, no larger than Deidara, strapped to a metal panel at the back of the cell. Once the smoke and dust from the explosion cleared, everyone could see a young looking Sonda, with vibrant red hair, dark ringed feline eyes and pale skin. His eyes were shut, clearly heavily sedated.

Kakuzu and Hidan approached the male and unfastened him from the table. After strapping on breathing apparatus, Kakuzu threw him over his shoulder and they left the room.

Thankfully, Sasori had managed to switch off all security breaching alerts, so the way was clear enough, except for the guards who had found bodies.

* * *

Sasori was working quickly at the computers, jamming radio feeds and looping security camera feeds, still fully aware of the bleeding teen on the floor.

"_Sasori, we got the prisoner, we just need to get out alive now," _Kisame said through his head set. Sasori sighed with relief.

"Right Kisame, can I get Deidara out yet?" he asked, moving away from the computer.

"_Negative, we need you to rendezvous with us deeper inside the prison, the guards are grouping outside hoping to catch us," _Kisame said, making Sasori groan, _"Thankfully we have a man who escaped before."_

Sasori sighed and made sure the computers were as sabotaged as possible before turning around and picking up the blonde. Deidara nearly threw up from the dizziness caused by the loss of blood.

"C'mon Deidara, we have to go now," the red head said quickly, half dragging the Sonda out and down the hall. Thankfully, they easily made their way through the building, Sasori destroying any Sonda they came across, for no reason other than an unknown rage.

"Sasori, over here!" came a welcomed voice. Sasori turned and ran as fast as an extra limp body would allow him to. His captain chewed his lip and grabbed Deidara from him.

"Shit, he looks bad," Kisame remarked, throwing the blonde over his shoulder, "We have to get through the sewers, follow Kakuzu."

Sasori shook his head.

"I can't leave Deidara, he took that damn bullet for me," he said firmly, "I'll cover you."

Kisame nodded, understanding the young soldier. He carried Deidara, following Itachi, who was waiting for them at the passage, Kakuzu and Hidan had taken the prisoner down.

Sasori kept an eye out for guards before disappearing into the dark maintenance shaft. He took in the dark and rather dank atmosphere before hurrying down the rather steep corridor.

"This shithole looks more like catacombs than fucking sewers," Hidan remarked, wrinkling his nose at the stench. Kakuzu led them towards the sound of running water.

"This way," he said, "And Hidan…shut the fuck up."

"Bastard."

They followed a slippery walkway, next to a deep rushing body of water. After several hours of walking, a small speck of light became visible to the group of soldiers. Hidan cheered and everyone else blew a sigh of relief. They made it outside and looked around, seeing a deep ravine followed by miles of wasteland.

"Right, we need to get back to the ship," Kisame said, "Kakuzu, where are we in relation to the ship?"

Kakuzu did a quick calculation in his head. He walked over to see the city wasn't too far away.

"If we move west and go around the city, we will get to the ship by nightfall and avoid going near the prison," he said casually, "Now let's go before the kid dies of blood loss and we all end up as prey for something undesirable."

Everyone double timed it around the city, racing against the sun which was partially blocked out by pollution. A small speck appeared on the horizon, encouraging the soldiers to speed up.

"C'mon, the prisoner is waking up," Kakuzu called, "We need to keep him sedated until we get home."

"I doubt that will be necessary," A voice rasped. Kakuzu set the new redhead down, steadying him. He opened his eyes to reveal teal coloured cat like eyes.

"You broke me out of prison," he said matter of factly, "It only seems right that I repay you. I doubt you went through the trouble out of the goodness of your hearts."

Everyone smirked. This kid was no older than Deidara and yet he was very well spoken and to the point; very different from the carefree, almost shy nature of the blonde.

"Well kid, welcome to the ranks," Kisame said, grinning a little, "Now we need to get this one back to the ship before he dies. He's not doing well."

Everyone nodded and began to run to the ship. Sasori opened the ramp and they made their way inside. Kakuzu grabbed an emergency first aid kit. Kisame lay the blonde down on the floor and allowed Kakuzu and Sasori to work. The stitched ninja cut away the blood-soaked bandages around Deidara's leg and the material of his trousers.

Sasori forced a few blood pills into his partner as Kakuzu stitched up the wound and wrapped fresh bandages around his leg. Once colour had returned to his cheeks, the two soldiers strapped Deidara in to the chair closest to the pilot.

Everyone fastened themselves in and Sasori lifted off and flew the combat craft back to the rebel camp, with their new add on.

"So, kid what's your name?" Kisame asked, smirking at the new red head.

"Gaara."

* * *

**_Woohoo! Gaara has made his debut!^^ Yeah I was wondering if I should shoot Deidara but then I thought, 'Eh fuck it, we like to torture the blonde one' So my SasoDei senses tingled at the thought so it went down on paper :D But it's also relevant! Anyway, I tried to make their breach on the prison realistic enough. If anyone with real military background or knowledge is reading this (likelihood being zilch-_-) I apologise if anything is wrong or unrealistic. I tried ^^. Anyway, review or I will kill off Deidara in the next chapter :P (I probably wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I did but I would be thinking about it :D) _**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Yoohoo! I is back baby! :D Noticed a really really huge change on the site! Now instead of leaving 'reviews' you leave COMMENTS! :O Insane! O.O Okay now enough of me being a smart ass, on with the chapter! ^^**_

_**Disclaimer: I own noooootthhhiiinnnggg :O**_

* * *

All he could hear was a strange wurring. If he focused, they changed into voices, but that hurt his head. Scrunching up his eyes against the painfully bright light, he moved his head to the side, burying his face into his pillow.

Pillow.

Feeling around, he could easily tell that he was in a bed, with thin sheets. He was also in a lot of pain. Whimpering a little, he cracked his eyes open and first saw a red blob. Blinking until his eyes adjusted, he realised the red blob was a person and there was also a blue person.

The memories came flooding back, as if a barrier had broken down in his mind, the images and feelings and sounds flashed through his mind. He shot up and frantically looked around, guttural cries of pain issuing from his lips as he was forced to lie back down.

"W-where am I un?" he demanded, "Danna?"

"Don't worry brat, I'm right here," his partner replied from his left. He visibly relaxed as he realised they were in one of the medical tents, a few beds away from a red haired Sonda, who Deidara had never seen before.

"We…made it then…un?" he asked, the pain in his leg making him feel sick. Sasori and Kisame nodded, both smiling, albeit the red head, only a little. Their captain grinned widely as he motioned to the small sleeping Sonda.

"Yeah we got him, you two did great as well," Kisame stated, "Sasori told me what happened. You're a brave kid. Not many I know who would step in front of a bullet."

Deidara blushed and shut his eyes tiredly.

"I'm beginning to wish I hadn't un," he grumbled, willing the pain away. Kisame laughed at the remark before standing up.

"Well, I'm gonna tell Pein you're alive and Gaara's healthy so we can continue soon," he said nonchalantly, leaving with a smirk. Sasori rolled his eyes at the captain. He then snapped his head around and glared at the teenager, who looked rather nervous.

"Deidara," Sasori said sternly, "Whatever the hell you were thinking, I may never know but don't you _ever _do that to me again!"

Deidara lowered his head in sadness, his ears drooping, forming a rather depressing image. The red head sighed and did something he felt he was going to regret. Reaching over, he wrapped his arms around the teen and pulled him close in a gentle hug. Deidara gasped but getting over his initial shock, he hugged back, forgetting how much he loved contact with other people. It had been so long since he had received or given a simple hug.

"Thanks brat," Sasori murmured, "I owe you my life."

Deidara smiled brightly chirping a little, his left ear flickering and patting Sasori's neck.

"No you don't Danna un," he mumbled, "You saved my life too many times to count."

The human smirked, pulling back from the hug, a small flash of disappointment crossing the blonde's face before he smiled brilliantly and sneaked a peak at the Sonda behind Sasori.

"So that's who we had to get un?" he queried. Sasori nodded, looking over the boy.

"Yes. He suffered a little bit from exposure to the radiation and he suffered some malnourishment at the prison," he explained, "He'll be fine though, just needs some rest and food. Speaking of which, are you hungry?"

Deidara considered food for a moment but the thought made him feel nauseous. Shaking his head, he simply told Sasori that he wanted to sleep. The red head narrowed his eyes a little but nodded, heading off to get himself something.

The blonde lay back down, closed his eyes, feeling rather heavy as he sighed, breathing slowly and deeply. He felt strangely happy and simply wanted to cherish the moment.

"You two seem close," a rather hoarse voice remarked. Deidara lazily opened an azure eye and regarded the now fully awake prisoner. His eyes snapped open and he stared at the advancing Sonda. He was rather small but taller than himself and skinny but there was a menacing aura about him. A tiny smirk crossed his lips as he took in the nervous behaviour of the teen who looked no older than himself.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to harm you," he said, mildly amused, "I wouldn't gain anything other than that pilot's wrath. What's your name?"

Deidara didn't answer for a few minutes, sitting up slowly and awkwardly to properly face the red head.

"Um…D-Deidara un," he replied, hiding behind his bangs. Gaara sat down in the chair previously occupied by Sasori. The blonde really wanted him to return soon.

"Nice to meet you," came the reply, "I believe you were on the mission to break me free."

Deidara blushed, remembering every detail and moment, nodding slowly. He noticed Gaara's teal orbs lowering to look at his injured leg.

"Thank you for helping me escape," he said with a small but seemingly genuine smile. Deidara glanced up and couldn't help but smile back gently himself.

"I'm sorry that you got hurt in the process," he continued, "I heard you took a bullet for that human. Why?"

A blush painted the blonde's cheeks as he couldn't answer, shrugging his shoulders.

"I…I don't know…I just…un," he replied slowly, uncertain of his words. Gaara smirked and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.

"You're rather cute," he remarked, "All blushy blushy over a human."

Deidara's mouth set in a hard frown. He shot a glare at the red head.

"What do you mean un?" he asked, fists clenching a little. Gaara opened his eyes and regarded the sudden attitude change. Leaning forward he simply shrugged.

"Just saying," he replied vaguely, "Anyone would think you have feelings for him. It's a logical assumption. But then again…look where logical assumptions got us."

Deidara growled a little.

"I don't have feelings for Danna un," he snorted, "And what do you mean by logical assumptions?"

Gaara shook his head.

"Just a suggestion," he replied, "And that is something I will be discussing with people with more authority than you, no offence."

Deidara sighed and lay back. Gaara stood up, returning to his bed with one last glance back at the blonde.

"But honestly, I thank you," he said casually, "Prison was hardly a worthwhile experience."

Deidara gave him a curt nod, before turning his head away from the rather irritating ex-prisoner.

Feelings for his Danna? To be honest, he wasn't sure anymore. Pushing back the troublesome thoughts, he drifted into a rather unsettled slumber.

* * *

"How's Blondie?" Hidan asked the rather spacey pilot. Sasori didn't reply, simply staring off into the jungle behind his team mate. Hidan rolled his eyes and slapped Sasori on the back of the head, breaking the younger male from his thoughts with a pissed off growl.

"I said, How's fucking Deidara?" Hidan asked again, smirking at the annoyed expression. He lived to annoy and always took pride when his job was done.

"He's fine," the pilot replied, "Just in a bit of pain and tired. I'm taking him some food later."

Hidan nodded, smirking.

"I can't believe he got fucking shit for you," he exclaimed, "Kid's got real guts! I'm fucking glad he did or I wouldn't get to have fucking fun pissing you off all day!"

Sasori smirked, rolling his eyes.

"Hidan, if you pissed me off too much, it wouldn't be me the bullet was going through," he remarked, casting a warning glare at his team mate, who stopped laughing.

"Oh I'm so fucking scared!" he mocked, "No let's go get something for Blondie to eat. Bet he's fucking starving!"

Sasori nodded and together they made their way to the canteen, grabbed some food to go and made their way over to the medical tents, where they met Kakuzu.

"I was looking for you, moron," he snarled, "Shouldn't you know by now to not wander around camp on your own?"

Hidan snorted and waved the large Sonda away.

"What fucking ever dude," he said casually, having his arm grabbed by his partner.

"I mean it, Hidan," he said sternly, "Things are getting hostile around here, especially now that everyone thinks Sasori used Deidara to protect himself."

"What?" growled Sasori, "I wouldn't do something so low. Especially not to Deidara."

Kakuzu nodded, letting go of Hidan.

"I know that and so do most of us," he stated, "However there are Sonda here who want to end the war for their own race, not you humans. They find it insulting that they have to work with you already. So keep your heads down and for the love of whatever gods you worship, stay out of trouble."

Hidan and Sasori nodded, walking with the older male back to Deidara. The blonde was dozing and occasionally humming to himself. Sasori walked over and shook his shoulder, waking him up fully. Smiling, Deidara sat up, looking over his visitors.

"Hello everyone un," the blonde chirped, "What are you doing?"

Sasori smirked and handed a brown bag with food in it to him. Deidara eyed it curiously, taking it from Sasori's hand, with a questioning glance.

"It's food," Sasori explained, "Open it up and eat it."

Deidara did as directed, stopping with a small giggle. Sasori frowned and cocked his head, a few of his bangs falling into his eyes.

"What's so funny brat?" he asked curiously, looking from the bright face to the food. Deidara shook his head, smile shrinking but staying glued to his face.

"You said that to me the first time we met un," he replied, "It was just kinda funny."

Sasori 'ohed' sitting back and remembering his first encounter with the blonde kid. Time had definitely flown by at the rebel camp. To be honest his life had never been so hectic, so…exciting. Something new came along every day and he was never depressed or withdrawn as he had been back on earth. Whether it was sitting with everyone in the canteen or training with Deidara, he was occupied and somehow…happy.

With a small smile he nodded.

"I remember," he replied simply, "Now eat, before I force it down."

Deidara chirped and opened up the bag, pulling out what looked like a salad sandwich. He wrinkled his nose and began to pull out the tomatoes. Sasori rolled his eyes and grabbed a tomato, poking it in his mouth and licking the juice from his fingers.

"They taste good brat, you should eat your vegetables," he remarked. Deidara was too busy trying hard not to look at Sasori's tongue rolling over his fingertips. He shrugged and made a face.

"I don't like those un," he replied, "I'll eat the cucumber."

Sasori smirked and nodded, flicking the blonde on the forehead.

"Don't be smart brat," he warned. Deidara chirped and began to munch on his sandwich. Kakuzu and Hidan smirked at each other knowingly.

"I need to take Gaara to Pein soon," Kakuzu stated, grabbing Hidan and pulling him away, "We'll be back in a moment."

Both the Sonda and human nodded, before beginning a conversation about art.

"Them too are close," Kakuzu remarked. Hidan nodded.

"Yeah, you fucking worried?"

"Just a little bit."

* * *

You should bring Gaara in for questioning now," Pein stated, "We can't wait much longer."

Kisame nodded and watched as Itachi left to find Kakuzu and Hidan. Pein sighed and sat down, resting his head in his hands. Kisame looked on with a small smirk.

"Tired?" he asked, "Must be tough having to look after rebels and us lot!"

Pein smirked a little at the blue man.

"You have no idea," he replied, almost amused, "You lot are hard work. Especially with people questioning a few of the relationships between Sonda and humans."

Kisame sighed and shook his head.

"I question them myself," he replied, "But don't worry; everyone will be wise about anything that may cause problems. If they fuck up, I'll kick their asses. But they are smart."

Pein smirked a little but admired the captains resolve and faith in his soldiers. They sat in silence until Itachi opened the door and Gaara walked in with him, dressed in a spare shirt and army trousers. He cast a wary eye over the room's occupants before sitting down opposite Pein. The pierced Sonda regarded him coolly before opening his mouth.

"You are Gaara, yes?" he inquired. Gaara nodded.

"Yes, I am the one who carried out the murders of two government officials in the attempt of getting Operation B12 rejected and forgotten," he replied smoothly, "I was imprisoned for life under treason which is bullshit. I tried to stop the murder of thousands of innocents. I however, failed. But I will help you."

Pein nodded, grateful that he was cooperating.

"Very well," he replied, "I will just need you to tell me everything you know."

* * *

**_Just to let you know, Gaara wasn't trying to be mean or anything to Deidara, he was just curious about his relationship with Sasori. I also wanted him to come across as a little cold or hardened from his time in maximum securtiy prison. So he isn't a mean bastard he is a tough guy who now has fucked up emotions! What's new? :P But anyway, my sister is yelling at me to get off the laptop so I'm gonna go! Pretty please review( I mean COMMENT!:D lol) Love you all! Toodles!_**


	10. Chapter 10

_**Yoohoo! I'm back again for another chapter :D I had such a great weekend! Had a surprise 50th birthday party for my mum and I got rather drunk :S I put waaayyyy to much vodka in my vodka and coke! I then didn't sleep a wink the next night then had to drive up to Belfast with a hangover-_- I get really sick in the car without a pounding headache to begin with thank you!lol Anyway, enough of me feeling sorry for myself, new chapter ^^**_

_**Now this chapter starts weird but deal with it. It's all relevent.**_

_**Disclaimer: I'm shit broke...do I look like I own anything decent?**_

* * *

_"Mom, un!" A little blonde child, no older than six, came running into the small cottage kitchen, clutching a colourful piece of paper. A beautiful blonde with vibrant green eyes looked up from her book and saw her son bounding up to her, his little face alight with excitement, blue pools shining. She smiled gently at him and pulled him into her lap._

_"What is it petal yeah?" she asked, running her fingers through his silky tresses. He held up the paper, a flyer, proudly waving it in front of her flatter nose._

_"Looky, looky, there's a festival in town soon un!" he said proudly, "We have to go! Please, please, please un!"_

_The blonde female laughed lightly at his enthusiasm and just had to say yes. _

_"Of course, me you and your sister will all go tomorrow," she said, hugging him tightly, "Go and tell Aiko, she will be happy to go yeah."_

_The little boy gasped and nodded quickly, hopping from his mother's lap and scurrying out of the kitchen, all under the adoring eyes of his mother. She sighed a little, with a shake of her head and a small smile. Festivals were new around here, having been introduced when the Sonda were allied with humans. She had never seen one herself and of course neither had her easily excitable son._

_"He is too childish," came a stern voice. She scowled at her husband and began to clean the dishes._

_"Leave him alone," she growled, "He's happy and that is all that matters to me."_

_"I don't care if he is happy, he has a duty when he grows up to kill," the male snapped, "Once he comes of age, he will join the military like I did. We have to win this war, Masami."_

_The blonde whirled around, her long blonde hair, whipping behind her as she set her fierce gaze on her husband._

_"This war is evil and I will never have my Deidara be a part of it!" she shouted, "You would send your own son to fight and die for such a useless cause?"_

_The male Sonda rose from his seat in the corner and walked towards his wife._

_"He has to Masami," he stated matter of factly, "Or he will be no son of mine."_

_With that, he walked out of the door and into the bright sunshine of their home town. Masami swallowed a lump in her throat, a single tear falling from her evergreen orbs._

_The little blonde leaned his back against the wall and listened to his mother attempt to stop her crying. He almost started to cry himself but remembered all the times his father had said, 'Men don't cry'. _

_But he was just a child. A child caught up in something he couldn't understand._

* * *

The sky was dark and dangerous looking, heavy clouds threatening to pour water from the heavens and drown them all like rats. The mood in the camp was just as bad as news came that over thirty rebels were killed in an attack on a large city.

The Sonda government forces had a secret faction in charge of fulfilling the criteria of Operation B12. One of the specifically named cities had been hit, thankfully after the rebels had managed to evacuate and rescue over two thirds of the settlement; it was a huge success given that Pein had only been able to send under a hundred Sonda.

Gaara had been working closely with Pein, Konan and Kisame to aid them in their investigation against it. They had been shut in Pein's office together for almost two weeks, only emerging for food, sleep and new orders.

In those two weeks, Sasori, Hidan, Deidara, Kakuzu, Itachi, Zetsu and Tobi had been idle, helping out here and there around camp, but mostly bored out of their minds. Deidara's leg was healing well and Sasori spent most of his time with the blonde, still feeling rather guilty about his injury, even though the teenager insisted that it wasn't his fault.

Sasori walked into the medical tent with Hidan and Kakuzu, to see Deidara and two nurses standing at the end of his bed. Deidara had an arm wrapped around both of their necks as they supported him, while he attempted to put weight on his bad leg. He was shaking a little as he set his foot on the ground, guttural chirps falling from his lips as he scrunched up his face in concentration and pain. He said something to both nurses and they let him go a little to walk on his own.

His three visitors stood back and watched him attempt to walk-more like wobble- around on his own. He made it a few steps, before tripping over. The pilot hurried over and watched as he stood up again.

"What are you doing brat?" he asked, holding out a hand to steady him. Deidara grinned and chirped a little.

"My muscles were cramping up from staying in bed so long un," he explained, "So I'm walking around for a bit. I want to go outside for a while."

Sasori nodded and held him steady as he stretched and worked his muscles, getting his legs used to walking again and his injured leg used to supporting him. Once he had walked around the tent for twenty minutes, the pain was down to a dull throbbing ache and he was ready to go outside. He smiled at Sasori.

"Come with me, Danna un," he said eagerly, pulling on the human's hand, "Let's go, let's go!"

Sasori smirked and beckoned for Hidan and Kakuzu to follow. The four soldiers walked out of the tent, Deidara taking the lead as he let out a birdlike cry and pumped his fist in the air as he smelt the hot humid air and took in the scenery. Looking up at the sky he sighed.

"It's gonna rain un," he mumbled, "Let's go."

The four walked around camp, the blonde enjoying the fresh air and all four of them enjoying the conversation and the blonde's rather funny enthusiasm.

They had been out for over an hour and a half when a tall Sonda with long brown hair and milky white eyes hurried over to them.

"All personnel are to help move everything inside the ship," he stated sternly, "There is a bad storm coming and we need to move quickly." His eyes cast over Deidara's small and bandaged form before speaking again. "Injured soldiers must go into the medical tents and then be moved from there."

He left and ran away to warn others. Everyone cursed and began to hurry back to the middle of camp to help move things around. Deidara limped after everyone, cursing to himself for being useless in his current state. Sasori sensed he was lagging behind and scooped him up, one arm under his knees and the other supporting his upper back. The blonde released a yelping chirp and a light blush crept up as the pilot smirked at him. The blonde sighed and rested his head on his partner's chest, arms wrapped around his neck as he was carried back to the medical tents.

Once Deidara had been left off, Sasori went to help carry supplies into the ship. Everyone was surprisingly well coordinated for such a short notice move but then again, Sasori had no idea how long the camp had been here and whether this was routine or not. He would maybe ask Kakuzu later.

Once all of the camp had been shifted into the ship, Sasori went looking for his partner to take back to their room. From what he had heard, tropical storms on Sondarsta could last up to a week long, perhaps longer depending on the season. He pushed his way through the crowds of Sonda and squinted around for a flash of bright yellow. If he knew how to say 'walking banana' in the Sonda's language, he may have used it to describe Deidara; either that or 'kid who asks questions as if his life depended on it'.

"Danna un, over here."

The pilot turned around to see Deidara fighting off a doctor to limp over to him. With a grin he reached out and steadied himself using Sasori as a crutch.

"Hey un," he said cheerfully, "They are saying this storm is gonna last five to ten days. Let's go back to our room un!"

Sasori nodded and helped the teen walk back to their room which he hadn't occupied for a while. Reaching it, Deidara flopped onto his bed, releasing a breath of relief as the pain in his leg began to die down. Sasori lay down on his bed and began to fiddle with a puppet. He began to wish that he had materials with him to make a new one.

Deidara watched with fascination gleaming in his eyes.

"What is the point to a puppet un?" he asked, "Do you use them in those, um…puppet shows?"

Sasori shook his head.

"You can use them in 'puppet shows' but my work is usually just displayed," he stated, "When I was younger I used to play with my creations."

He stopped talking, as though remembering something really sad. Deidara could have sworn he saw something twinkle in the red head's eyes before he blinked and rolled over, away from his partner. Deidara stared, his eyes widening as he saw the human's shoulders begin to shake a little.

"Danna un?" he murmured, sitting up. When he got no response, he crept closer to the pilot and sat on the edge of the bed. He could hear Sasori's rather ragged breaths and he lay down and pulled him into a hug. Sasori froze as the slender arms wrapped around him and pulled him close. He relaxed and rolled over to bury his face in the teen's chest.

"I…just miss them, you know?" he murmured, trying to wipe the tears away, scowling to himself, "Look at me. Pathetic. Men shouldn't cry."

Deidara froze and shut his eyes tight, taking in a breath as painful memories flashed across his mind. He shook his head and snuggled closer to Sasori.

"N-no Danna un," he mumbled, "You're not pathetic. A-and men can cry too. I bet even Hidan and Kisame cry sometimes."

Sasori sensed the younger's distress and hugged him back, resting his forehead against Deidara's jaw, closing his eyes.

"Sorry, brat, go to sleep or something," he muttered, breathing in the comforting scent. Outside they could hear the wind picking up and screaming as it clawed against the metal outside of the ship, unable to get close to the young soldiers falling asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

Sasori cracked his eyes open, groggily becoming aware of something rather heavy on his chest. He looked down and saw a mass of golden blonde hair. Blinking a few times, he almost blushed at the rather compromising position they were in.

Deidara was snuggled against his chest, his hands resting on his shoulders, loosely bent against his body. His legs were straddling Sasori's hips and his feet were tucked under the redhead's knees. Sasori's arms were wrapped loosely around the blonde's waist.

"B-brat, wake up," Sasori hissed, shaking the younger awake. He shuffled around, pressing his body closer to the redhead's. Sasori blushed and pushed him off before something reacted against his will.

"Deidara, wake up," he called, jumping off the bed, attempting to compose himself before the blonde noticed anything strange. The teenager opened his eyes and looked around, blushing when he realised he was on the pilot's bed.

"Oh! D-Danna un, I-I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, jumping off the bed, yelping in pain when he hit his thigh off the side of the bunk. Sasori caught him before he crumpled to the floor and helped him sit on his bed. Deidara scowled at his injury and flattened his ears.

"I hate being useless un," he grumbled, "I'm just glad we haven't been given any new missions or I would be stuck here alone."

Sasori nodded and stretched his arms above his head.

"Well, we won't be going anywhere in this weather," he said simply, "It's getting rather rough out the-"

"Sasori! Deidara! Get to the debriefing room now," shouted a jittery Hidan. Sasori furrowed his brow as he took in the disturbed look of the soldier in front of him. He instantly stood up and grabbed Deidara's upper arm and dragged him along with Hidan.

They reached the room and sat down at the circular table which Sasori hadn't actually seen in a while now. He looked around and saw that Pein, Konan, Kisame and Gaara all looked very worn out, gaunt and downright disturbed as Pein stood up and pressed a button which brought down a projection screen.

"We received this from Kakashi's team about half an hour ago," Kisame said, his tone deadly serious and rather flat, no toothy grin stretching his face, just dark and sad eyes. Everyone looked at the screen to see the masked face of a soldier that they had all encountered in this very room a few months ago.

The camera was shaky and the picture was rather dark, possibly indicating that he was hiding.

"_This is Captain Kakashi Hatake, by the time you've received this message, I'll probably be dead. I don't have much time; listen Kisame. The rest of my team is dead. The second we got back to earth, they arrested us. I got out. Listen to me now, Earth isn't safe anymore. Everyone on our side is either dead or bought. Stay with the rebels. The governments lied. Do not contact Earth. I managed to destroy all information on where you are. Thanks for everything you did for me, now I'm doing this for you. Attached to this video is a heavily encrypted file. Sasori will be able to decode it. Keep them safe Kisame and end this war for all of us. Thank you Kisame…Goodbye."_

The entire video made Sasori's blood run cold. He sent Kisame a startled look but the blue skinned soldier was just staring at the snow on the screen, with a very dark look in his eye. Pein broke the silence.

"Sasori, I need you to work with Gaara and decode this file that Captain Hatake spoke of," he stated, "We need to find out what it is as soon as possible."

Both redheads nodded. The pierced Sonda looked around at everyone else.

"Until this storm passes, we are not making any moves," he announced, "We will decode this file and decide our next move then. The rest of you, rest, recover do whatever you think best but believe me when I say, things are going to get difficult from now on. Keep your friends close and eyes and ears open."

Everyone left except for Kisame, Sasori and Deidara who stayed in their seats as everyone filed out. The pilot moved over to where Gaara was seated and began to speak to him in hushed tones about what type of file they were looking at. Gaara offered to show him directly and they left without a word to anyone for the room housing one of the more powerful computers on the ship.

Deidara felt a stab of jealousy as he watched the two redheads leave. Trying to push it down with the reasoning of a very important mission that wasn't helped by his childish wants, he limped over to Kisame.

"What should I do un?" he asked nervously, expecting the elder to snap. Kisame however gave him a sad smile and patted his shoulder.

"You recover kid," he said simply and quietly, "We're gonna need everyone at full strength from now on. The shit has officially hit the fan."

* * *

**_I thought that last sentence was perfect for ending the chapter with because after the video message, they realise that everything is turning to shit!^^ Anyway, hope you all had a nice weekend. I know I did and now my summer holidays have officially started! I have finished secondary school forever and I will hopefully be going to study art at Tech! Life is good to me! \^o^/ Anyway, love you all. Please review and stuff! Smell you later :P xx_**


	11. Chapter 11

_**Woo! New chapter!^-^ I must say thank you so much to everyone who is reviewing! I woke up this morning and I had about seven new reviews for Time Reversal no Jutsu! I have the best readers ever! You are all so awesome! Now new chapter!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto but I do own a cute ninja sushi bag!^^**_

* * *

Three days saw that the storm was still raging. Three days saw everyone getting snappier. Three days and no sign of his partner.

Deidara sighed in frustration and punched his pillow, flopping his head back down. He was thoroughly bored out of his mind and hadn't seen Sasori or Hidan in three whole days. He only ventured out of the tiny room when he needed food or a shower. Sasori was still holed up with Gaara in the computer rooms and Hidan was always with Kisame and Kakuzu now. Deidara couldn't help but feel rather jealous and useless at the moment.

Deciding that he would kill himself soon if he couldn't find something to do, he dragged himself from the bed and stood up, wobbling a little, he began to limp out of the room and down the corridor. He had no idea where the computer control room was, but he decided wandering around would be good for his muscles which were beginning to get rather sore and cramp up.

He dodged fellow Sonda out and about in a rush from one place to another. Humming his little tune to himself, he eventually crossed a door leading to the room he was looking for. Knocking, he received the order to enter. He pushed the door open and peeked in.

Sasori and Gaara were seated at a computer screen, almost sitting on top of each other, based on how close they were sitting, as they discussed how to decrypt the file. The screen in front of them was full of lines of text that Deidara couldn't fathom at all. Taking in the rest of the room, he saw that many of the other computers were like that as well, many with a Sonda sitting behind a keyboard, typing away furiously, much like his partner.

No one bothered to glance at him as he made his way over to the pilot, who didn't notice him either. Deidara felt that stab of jealousy again as Sasori devoted his attention to Gaara and the computer.

"Um…Sasori Danna un?" he called out nervously. Sasori stopped talking and looked over his shoulder, up at the blonde.

He looked terrible to say the least. His skin was pale and pasty, his hair was a mess and there were dark circles under his rather dull eyes. Deidara felt rather sorry for him, noticing that Gaara looked almost as bad. The red head blinked.

"What are you doing here brat?" he asked rather sharply, "Did you need something?"

Deidara blushed and looked down at his feet, shuffling around for the right words.

"I…I just wondered if you needed anything un," he said quickly, not wanting his Danna to get angry. Looking back up at him shyly, he saw the harsh gaze soften and a weak smile grace the red head's features.

"No thanks Deidara," he replied, "We just really have to get this done and we've almost cracked it. I think another day and it should be finished. Right Gaara?"

The other redhead nodded and looked the blonde up and down with a smirk.

"Yes, that's true," he replied simply, returning to the computer screen. Deidara smiled gently and turned to leave. Sasori caught his wrist, making him look back in curiosity. Sasori gave him a small genuine smile.

"Don't worry about us," he said quietly, "Once this is cracked, we can hang out together again."

Deidara smiled brightly and nodded, ears perking as he blushed a little. Turning and leaving the room, he heard Gaara begin to snicker. Brushing it off, Deidara walked out and down towards the canteen, spotting Hidan and Kisame. He sat down with them and began to pick at his food.

"Something wrong Blondie?" Hidan queried, "You look fucking depressed."

Deidara smiled weakly, shaking his head.

"No un," he muttered, "I'm just bored is all."

Kisame smirked a little, patting his shoulder.

"Sasori is almost done kid," he stated, "Then he can chill with us some more."

Deidara blushed and shook his head, blonde locks flaying a round.

"It's nothing to do with him un!" he exclaimed, "I just don't like being stuck in this ship un."

Kisame and Hidan both started to snicker at the younger as he grew redder and redder, ears flat against his skull. He trained his eyes on the table as the laughter grew.

"It's so about Shorty!" Hidan exclaimed, guffawing like crazy. Deidara scowled at him, fist clenching under the table.

"It is not un!" he snapped, shrinking into his seat. Hidan shook his head laughing and slapping his leg.

"It so is, you like him!" he laughed. Deidara scowled, looking to Kisame for support except he was slowly turning purple… well the man had blue skin. Unable to take the ridicule any longer, he shot out of his seat and ran for his room, hating the sound of that infuriating laughter, ringing in his ears.

"Shut up, Shut up un!" he growled, throwing himself on his bed, burying his face in the pillow. His eyes stung as he clenched his fists, trying to push the memories from his head. Growling to himself, he punched the wall, hissing in frustration.

* * *

_The laughter wasn't dying down, as he curled up against the wall of his room, sniffling. Why were they all so cruel? Why did his appearance matter to them? And his art. Why did they find it funny?_

"_Dei-Chan?"_

_Looking up, he saw his mother standing over him, though she was blurry from the tears._

_Biting her lip at the sight of the tears running down her five and a half year old's face; she lifted him up and hugged him as he cried into her shoulder._

"_What's wrong my love yeah?" she asked gently, petting his hair. Sniffling a bit he wrapped his arms around her and inhaled her flowery scent._

"_The-they were l-l-laughing at me un," he whimpered, "A-and they m-m-made fun of my a-art."_

_His mother smiled gently and sat down on his white bed sheets, settling him in her lap._

"_But Dei-Chan, your art is amazing yeah," she said reassuringly, "They are probably just jealous because you are so talented! They don't understand it yeah!"_

_Deidara shook his head a little, eyes shut tight as the tears still flowed._

"_B-but they said it was stupid un!" he cried, "I-it's useless."_

_She sighed and pulled his face away from her shoulder to look into his watery blue eyes. She always marvelled at their beauty._

"_Never listen to them Dei-Chan yeah," she said firmly, "Art is important. Why else would we have contacted humans if not for their eye for beauty? That was where we were going wrong!" _

_Deidara frowned, his little face scrunched up in confusion. His mother smiled brightly and kissed away his tears, rubbing her nose against his much smaller one. He giggled a little, hugging her tighter._

"_Art un," he mumbled, "It's amazing."_

"_Then you must be art too yeah."_

* * *

Deidara blinked a little, realising his face was wet. Bringing up a hand, he brushed a tear from his cheek. He frowned a little at the small bead of moisture on his finger tip, from his memory. Sighing he rolled over, facing the metal wall and began to count the bolts in it

Five minutes passed when he heard the door open and light footsteps. He didn't know who it was but he refused to look round, instead pretending to be asleep. He knew it wasn't Hidan and the steps were too light to be Kisame or Kakuzu so he assumed it was Sasori. A blurry reflection of red showed that he was right.

"Hey kid."

His blue pools widened, realising he had forgotten another redhead. Bolting up, he looked over at a smirking Gaara who was standing over him, teal eyes analysing his every move.

"Sasori told me to come and get you," he said coolly, "Your captain told me you would be here."

Deidara shrugged, not wanting to talk to anyone. Gaara frowned a little at his cold exterior.

"Something wrong?" he asked casually, crossing his arms. Deidara shrugged and climbed from his bed, pushing past the Sonda as he walked from the room and down the hall towards the Computer room. Gaara followed.

"So you are close to Sasori?" he asked, watching the blonde as they walked through the ship. Deidara shrugged.

"I guess un," he mumbled, not even giving Gaara a glance. This was enough for the redhead.

"He talks about you rather fondly," he replied, "He's kinda cute."

Deidara frowned, ears perked.

"What does he say un?" he asked nonchalantly. Gaara smirked and shrugged his shoulders, ears flickering coolly.

"Just stuff," he replied, "Though you admit, even for a human, he is cute right?"

Deidara grunted, not replying for fear of giving himself away to the Sonda. Gaara continued.

"So you're not into him?" he queried, almost teasingly, "Hmm, I thought you two had a thing. Maybe I'd have a chance then."

Deidara wheeled round, growling.

"What un?" he demanded, advancing on the taller Sonda, who was still smirking.

"Just that I fancy a piece of Akasuna myself," he replied, "Of course I thought he was yours, but if not then-"

Deidara lunged at the redhead, his blood boiling, as he scraped with the far better trained Sonda. He shoved him to the ground, clawing and snapping at him as he smirked and attempted to shove him away, though he was surprisingly strong for his size.

Gaara hissed when the blonde gouged three long cuts down his cheek and grabbed him around the throat. Deidara's eyes widened a little as he punched the redhead in the stomach. Letting go of his neck, he scrabbled away from the blonde and flipped behind him, kicking him in the small of his back and slamming into the wall. Blood seeped down his forehead and into his left eye as he woozily ran at Gaara again, just to be punched in the face. He fell back against the wall, panting as pain shot through the left side of his face.

"WHAT THE FUCK?"

Deidara glanced up, panting heavily to see Hidan and Kakuzu holding back Gaara who stopped fighting but kept snarling at them. He winced a little when someone poked his face. Looking over he saw Sasori, eyes gleaming with concern as he lifted him up and pushed his way through the crowd which had gathered without the blonde even noticing.

Dragging the blonde back to their room, Sasori tried to push the disturbing images of the feral look on Deidara's face out of his head.

He liked the blonde when he was happy, shy hell even sad; those emotions made him look cute and innocent. But just then…when he was fighting with Gaara, both Sonda had sported animalistic expressions with their teeth bared and their eyes were like slits, shining with savagery as they tried to kill each other.

Reaching their room, he set the now trembling Sonda down on his bed and grabbed a first aid kit. Turning back to the Sonda, he was relieved to see that the feral expression had receded and was now replaced with a pained and shameful expression.

"What the hell happened brat?" he demanded, ripping open the kit and pulling out a clean cloth and a bottle of antiseptic. Deidara shook his head, looking down at his hands. Sighing, the pilot began to dab at the cuts on the left side of his face, cleaning away the blood, revealing the torn up gash hidden beneath. The blonde hissed a little, clicking from the pain.

"You need to tell me if working with Gaara in the future is going to be a problem," Sasori said sternly, "You can't go attacking people."

Deidara shrugged, nodding a little.

"It won't be a problem un," he muttered, just loud enough for his partner to hear him. Sasori nodded and finished cleaning up the blonde's face. Putting the medic kit away, he left the room.

Deidara curled up on his right side, staring at nothing as tears pricked his eyes.

* * *

"Do we know why they attacked each other?" Kisame asked. Hidan and Kakuzu shrugged.

"Fuck knows, he coulda been provoked or just needed a good fucking scrap," Hidan stated, "Though I bet he was provoked. Kid wouldn't fucking fight for the fun of it."

Kakuzu and Kisame nodded, thinking over his statement. The captain sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"It may have something to do with Gaara working so closely with Sasori," he said, "Deidara looks up to the kid, calls him Danna and everything. Maybe he doesn't like to share."

Everyone smirked and nodded.

"That sounds about right but how deep does their relationship go?" Kakuzu queried, "It would be dangerous to think that it's deeper than friendship."

Kisame shrugged, looking to Itachi who shook his head.

"They aren't like that," he stated, "Although it could develop. Who really knows?"

"Who really knows what?"

All mouths shut as all heads looked around to see Sasori walked towards them. He sat down at the table, the bright lights giving him a rather ill complexion.

"Dude you look like hammered shit!" Hidan said loudly. Sasori rolled his eyes and rested his head on the table.

"Thank you Hidan, you know just how to make someone feel good about themselves," he drawled, "But yes, I feel it too. We cracked the code Kisame. Just need you, Pein and Itachi to see it and work out what it is."

Kisame's eyes widened and he shot from his chair, charging down the halls, dragging Itachi with him who chirped with alarm. The redhead groaned a little and demanded he get some food before he passed out. Hidan chuckled and went to grab him food will Kakuzu watched the silver haired male leave.

"I know I complained about him a lot," the stitched up soldier stated, "But he is surprisingly loyal to his friends. "

Sasori smiled a little from his place at the table.

"I guess," he replied, "There has to be some reason that Kisame kept him on the team. If he was an evil bastard then he would have been kicked off or killed ages ago."

Silence fell again as they waited for the loud mouth to return with food. He did after several minutes, throwing a ration pack at the pilot, who fell on it like a starving animal.

"They only have fucking rations left," he stated casually, "There are a lot of rebels so the food's drying up and fucking fast too."

"That's alright, once the storm is over we can get new deliveries of supplies," Kakuzu explained. Hidan grinned a little and threw him a bright green apple. He looked at it questioningly before removing his mask and biting into it, enjoying the sour taste.

"Nicked it from the kitchen," Hidan said simply, "I know you like 'em and I thought what the hell."

Kakuzu nodded, enjoying the apple. Once he had finished it down to the core, he tossed the remains away and replaced his mask.

"Thank you Hidan," he said honestly. Sasori smirked a little as he watched the exchange. They could not say a word about his friendship with Deidara. Speaking of him, he wrapped up the remaining half of his food and walked down the hall to his room.

"Brat?" he called, entering their quarters, and startling the blonde awake. Deidara sat up and looked up at him blearily. Sasori held out the silver packet which he took shyly and looked inside. He smiled shyly and weakly up at the pilot, the action causing his face to throb painfully.

"Th-thank you un," he mumbled, eating very slowly, finding chewing difficult. Sasori watched him eat as he sat down on his bed.

"Ready to tell me what happened with Gaara?" he asked casually, causing Deidara to choke a little. Looking embarrassed, he set his food down and lay back on his bed.

"He…said…something…and it made me angry un," he uttered miserably, ears drooped, "He taunted me."

Sasori narrowed his eyes a little at the very shy teen. His behaviour was strange to say the least; he usually told Sasori anything, as long as it wasn't about painful memories.

"Can you tell me what he said to upset you so much?" he asked cautiously. Deidara shook his head and rolled over away from him.

"It's better you don't know un," he muttered.

* * *

"Here is the file that your human friend encrypted," Gaara stated, pointing to one screen, "And here is the final result after Sasori and I cracked it."

Kisame, Pein and Itachi looked between the two screens, one covered with codes and symbols that no one could fathom, and the second screen which was covered with names, photographs, diagrams and all sorts of notes.

"There is also a second video within this file," Gaara said typing something on the keyboard. Everyone watched the screen as a new video popped up, with the face of Kakashi and his three teammates.

"_Kisame, you've decrypted the file…well done!"_

"_Kakashi, would you get on with the message, this isn't a game show!" _

"_Right, right, sorry Sakura. Anyway, this file contains names of people who are behind this fiasco, locations of important events and anything else we were able to dig up before we got caught. We are all on the run now, but with a bit of luck, you guys will be able to succeed where we haven't quite managed. Hopefully with this new information, you will be able to uncover the truth and put an end to it all."_

"_Say bye everyone!"_

"_Bye, hope to see you soon!"_

The video ended, freezing the cheerful faces on the screen for everyone to ponder what was said. Pein turned to Gaara.

"Thank you for your help in this," he said smoothly, "Now you may go and rest. The rest of you, I need printed copies of everything on this file, to be in my office ASAP. Captain Hoshigaki, Itachi, come with me please."

The other Sonda on the computers began to feverishly type away and print out the file's contents. Kisame and Itachi followed the rebel leader back to his office, ready to plan the next attack.

"Where you close with Captain Hatake?" Itachi asked quietly. Kisame nodded a little.

"Yeah, we trained together when we were first joining the military," he replied, "He was a cool guy, who everyone wanted to be better than! Remember this one crazy guy with a bowl haircut and the biggest eyebrows you've ever seen was always challenging him! Made me laugh to watch."

Itachi listened quietly, a small smile gracing his face as they walked into the office again, ready to await the newest lot of information and decide their next move.

* * *

**_Yeah sorry if I made Gaara a total asshole but it was necessary! :P More stuff is happening!^^ Hopefully the next chapter will be much more interesting though, there's only so much that can happen on one ship! ^^' Anyway, hope you like it and pretty please keep up the awesome job on the reviews! They make me so happy! Have a nice day lovelies!_**


	12. Chapter 12

_**Two of my bestest best biffles have ditched me to go on holiday (or in Jess's case, her second holiday D:) so now I'm staying at home to write stuff for you guys :D Aren't I lovely? :P And my tickets for the Asking Alexandria concert have finally arrived! XD I'm so excited, I'm gonna mosh out and fangirl over Ben Bruce! X3 Anyway, new chapter! Woo!**_

_**Special thanks to Bkwamper who went back and reveiwed every single chapter! :D You rock my friend! :3**_

_**Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto but I do own a Zombie Killer wristband! :D**_

* * *

"All engineers are required outside to help with repair the damage to the ship's outer structure."

Upon hearing this from a rather disgruntled Sonda, Kakuzu and Zetsu got to their feet and began to make their way outside, gathering tools and a tool belt each.

"Hey, hey, where are you going?" Hidan demanded, following the two males. Kakuzu cast a glance over his shoulder and rolled his eyes.

"I am an engineer, idiot, so I'm going to repair the ship," he grunted. Hidan frowned and followed him, grabbing a suite on the way out.

"I wanna help!" he stated somewhat childishly. Kakuzu stopped and looked him over. With a heavy sigh he motioned for him to follow. Hidan grinned like a child at Christmas and followed swiftly.

"Doesn't look all that damaged," Hidan mused as they looked up at the gigantic ship. Kakuzu pointed to a few of the panels.

"Those are completely loose, a few components over there are busted, those windows are cracked," he said sternly, "If anything is out of place or damaged, the results could be disastrous if not addressed. Now, follow me."

Hidan grinned and followed his partner as he climbed up the side of the ship to the very top. Once there, Hidan was actually able to tell some things were damaged since the area had been hit quite badly.

"Right, what the fuck do we do first?" he asked, turning expectantly to Kakuzu. The stitched Sonda smirked and walked past him.

"You shut up and watch carefully," he said casually, "Then I might let you do something."

Hidan growled but sat and sulked next to his much taller partner as he went about repairing some of the damage. He watched with fascination as the ship was gradually repaired by all the engineers working in the blistering heat and humidity. An hour and a half in, both soldiers removed their shirts. Hidan revealed his pale, marble like chest and tossed his shirt to the side. He looked round and gasped at the sight of the shirtless Sonda.

His chest, stomach and back were completely covered in stitches. He shyly reached up a hand and ran a finger over them. Kakuzu visibly tensed, and turned to fix his own green and red gaze with Hidan's violet one.

"How did you get those?" he asked quietly, almost hesitantly. Kakuzu shook his head.

"I will tell you another time," he stated, "Now grab me that screw driver over there."

* * *

Sasori, Kisame, Itachi and Deidara were helping to move supplies and crates out of the ship and back out in the massive camp sight. Kisame hoisted his load up onto his shoulder and looked around with a mildly surprised expression.

"I was expecting the camp to be flooded from all the rain," he mused. Deidara shook his head and chirped.

"Most of the rain was probably intercepted by the vegetation un," he explained, "But it will be very humid for a while. It's uncomfortable already un."

Sasori nodded in agreement. His muscle top was already sticking to him with the humidity. Everyone else was also expressing discomfort and the engineers crawling all over the ship had simply discarded their shirts to work in their trousers and boots.

Dumping the supplies he had been carrying, Sasori pulled his shirt up over his head and used it to wipe the sweat from the back of his neck. Deidara glanced around to speak to him but froze. The pilot was standing with his torso bare and his red hair tousled and screaming 'I just had sex'. His chest was glistening in the sunlight and his eyes were closed as he flexed his muscles.

"Something wrong Deidara?" Kisame asked, glancing between the blonde teen and the red headed soldier. With a knowing smirk he whistled to Sasori.

"Oi, quit being such a poser Akasuna and get back to work," he scolded with a toothy grin. Sasori scowled and grabbed his load.

"Shut up Kisame, I'm just too hot," he retorted. Kisame laughed at the younger male but also at the dark blush painting Deidara's cheeks as he watched Sasori from behind.

'He is too hot, it's not fair,' Deidara thought to himself, setting down the crate he was carrying next to Kisame and Sasori's.

"That should be the last of it," Kisame mused, looking around the camp to see it was in almost the exact same position before the storm hit.

"Yeah, let's get showers," Sasori suggested, heading back to the ship. Deidara hurried after him, walking by his side.

"You've been very quiet all day brat," Sasori stated, "Something's wrong."

Deidara shook his head, smiling a little, although Sasori could tell it was forced.

"N-nothing un," he replied quickly, "I just…"

Sasori frowned. He had a feeling it was about Gaara but with the blonde refusing to talk, he could do nothing.

Unless Gaara was willing to talk.

They walked silently to the shower rooms and cleaned themselves off. Deidara left for their room, mumbling about being tired while Sasori left to find the other red head. He began his search near the computer control room. There was no sign of him their so he decided to ask around. Thankfully, he was directed towards Gaara's new quarters and made his way there.

Knocking on the door, he was told to enter. He opened the door and stepped inside. Gaara was seated on hi small bed with a book rested in his lap. He looked up at Sasori and flashed a tiny smile.

"Ah, Sasori, what can I do for you?" he asked simply, shutting the book and setting it aside. Sasori leaned against the wall and regarded him coolly before answering.

"What were you and Deidara fighting about?" he asked, "He won't talk to me about it."

Gaara smirked and closed his eyes.

"Well then maybe it was a personal matter," he replied. Sasori growled and advanced on him.

"Shut up, it was a serious matter, for him to have reacted so violently and you know what it was!" he hissed. Gaara remained quiet, simply looking over the pilot as if measuring something.

"And why do you care?"

Sasori was taken aback. His mouth opened but swiftly closed as he thought his answer over. Why did he care for Deidara? They had grown close in the past couple of months and he could relate to the young Sonda in a way. He just wanted the blonde to be safe and…happy.

"He is important to me," he answered, his voice never wavering, "This issue is hurting him and I want it resolved."

Gaara stared at him, before a small smile stretched his face.

"Fine, I was making an observation about your relationship with him," he explained, "I asked if you two were…an item. He denied this so I suggested that maybe I had a chance with you. He grew quite…aggravated and possessive."

Sasori blinked.

"You two tried to kill each other…over me?" he asked incredulously, "That's ridiculous!"

Gaara shook his head.

"Oh but it is not," he stated, "When Sonda forge a relationship with another, be it human or Sonda, they form a very protective nature over that being. Jealousy and rage are very strong emotions felt when a bond is threatened. Very close friends and lovers are willing to fight to the death over them. It's just a part of our nature and instinct."

Sasori frowned sitting down on Gaara's bed.

"So Deidara considers me a close friend," he muttered, "So this whole fiasco has been over him being jealous of you? If you knew about this then why provoke him like that?"

Gaara shifted to sit facing the pilot.

"Because I simply wanted to see how far his affection for you went," he stated, "I have never seen such a close human Sonda relationship before and it was fascinating to see how protective he is over you. Not surprising given how fragile humans beings are perceived to be."

Sasori snorted. If anything, Deidara was the fragile one.

"Right, well if you're done using the brat as a test subject then please refrain from encouraging him to rip your throat out," he grumbled, "He's miserable enough without having to take responsibility for a murder."

Gaara nodded and showed the human from his room. Once he had left, he smirked and went back to his book.

Mulling over the complex sounding system of a Sonda relationship, Sasori was slightly concerned. True he valued Deidara's friendship; it was one of the few things he had to keep him happy enough, but to think the blonde would be so vicious for him.

So wrapped up in his thoughts, he walked straight into the source of his concern. He felt something warm and solid crash into his chest, sending them both toppling to the floor. Sasori winced as his head hit off the metal floor and the air was knocked from his lungs.

"Oh…sorry Danna un!"

Sasori looked up and smirked at the dark blush painting Deidara's cheeks as he scrambled off the pilot and pulled him up.

"No trouble brat," he replied, "What are you doing here?"

The blonde stared hard at the ground before answering.

"I-I wanted to apologise un," he replied quietly, "I've been a bit of a 'misery guts' I think is the term."

Sasori smirked and set his hand on the teenager's shoulder.

"Don't worry brat, though…" he trailed off a little, "I spoke to Gaara about what you were fighting about."

Deidara froze, his gaze hardening.

What did he tell you un?" he demanded, his exterior becoming cold and defensive. Sasori sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"He told me about Sonda relationships," he explained, "He said that when they become close friends emotions like jealousy and rage become more prominent in order to protect that bond."

Deidara's steely gaze fell to the floor as he stared at the ground, refusing to make eye contact. Sasori continued.

"He also told me that he provoked you into action by 'threatening' our friendship," he finished, "Was that what you couldn't tell me?"

The teenager nodded, rubbing his upper arm, shyly.

"I-I didn't want y-you to think…that I was pushy or p-possessive un," he mumbled. Sasori sighed but smiled a little, pulling Deidara into a hug. He snuggled into the hug and inhaled the red heads comforting scent.

"Why would I think that of you?" he asked gently, "I'm just a little annoyed that you felt you couldn't tell me this. You can trust me."

Deidara smiled a little and pulled away from the hug to look at Sasori. His eyes scanned him for any sign of lying.

"You promise un?" he asked almost sternly. Sasori chuckled at the blonde. He was rather cute when he was serious.

"Of course brat," he assured, "Tell me anything you want. I'll listen."

Deidara pondered this for a moment, taking it in. He smiled brightly up at the redhead and nodded, chirping merrily.

"Then you can always trust me too un!" he stated proudly. Sasori gave a genuine smile and gave a curt nod. They were the first smiles either of them had worn in days.

* * *

"Right everyone, we've found a lead!" Kisame announced merrily, "We have several names of government officials here on Sondarsta that were in direct contact with human government officials over the last year. We are to find these people and interrogate them for what they know."

Everyone nodded and walked into the debriefing room. The look on Pein's face made it quite clear that he had gotten very little sleep in the past week or so. Everyone remained silent preferring to not tip the males delicately balanced temper.

"Now, we have been working out their locations and have managed to track them back to their homes," Pein stated, pointing to photographs of three male Sonda, all dress in business suites and all on the chubby side. He then pointed to a map of a huge city sprawl.

"All three of the targets are located in penthouses within three miles of each other," he continued circling three red X marks on the map, "Since the security of each building will be so tight, we are sending you in by air. You will attack the first building and kidnap this Sonda. Then proceed to this target building and collect him. Finally grab this man and take all three to a secure location that will be given to you once you have the three targets."

Everyone nodded, taking in all the information. Pein motioned to several other Sonda in the room.

"I have three teams who will cover your ship while you are extracting the three targets," he stated, "They will secure the skies for you and ensure you get out with the hostages. Sasori, you will be directing all of them since you are the pilot of the VIP ship. They are to be used at your disposal."

Sasori swallowed and hesitantly nodded, sending a sideways glance to Kisame who grinned at him reassuringly.

"Of course because of this, Sasori, you are not to leave your ship for _any _reason whatsoever," Pein ordered, "Your survival increases the chances of getting the hostages drastically, since you are such an accomplished pilot. This is why Deidara will stay and secure the ship while Kisame, Itachi, Hidan and Kakuzu storm the building and secure the target."

"You will leave tomorrow morning, as it will take a day of flying to get to this city," Pein stated, "That way, you will be able to enter the city under cover of darkness. This also ties in with when these government officials are home from work."

Everyone was dismissed and went back to their rooms to rest up for the next morning. Hidan was practically bouncing.

"Fuck yeah! I was getting sick of this place!" he exclaimed, marching back to their room. Deidara giggled nervously at the Jashinist's enthusiasm as he walked next to a pale and nervous Sasori.

"Danna un?" the blonde murmured, "Is something wrong?"

Sasori sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. He really wanted to talk to Kisame but he supposed the blonde would do.

"I'm just a little concerned about being in charge of others on missions," he stated quietly, "I've never really done it before. These men are putting their lives in my hands."

Deidara's ears flickered as he patted Sasori on the back.

"You've been in charge of me for all your missions and I'm still here un," he said happily, "Just don't think about it too much and keep a clear head I suppose un."

Sasori blinked at the rather decent advice the teenager was giving him.

"Since when were you the smart one?" he teased, ruffling the blonde's hair. Deidara swatted his hand away and stuck out his tongue.

"Since when were you the panicky one un?" he retorted, giggling all the way back to their sleeping quarters.

* * *

_**Yeah that debrief for their new mission, took me sooooo long! I actually duplicated it in really life to see what it looked like and if it sounded remotely realistic! I drew out a pretend city map and put in defence systems just to work out how they are gonna get in!lol I have waaaaayyyy too much time on my hands!^^' Oh well if it works happy days, if you are confused about what they are doing, then I have failed you, but will explain it all in detail if you need me to. :D See? I'm nice!lol Pretty please review, you awesome sauce people! :D**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Hey everyone! This chapter was meant to be up a few hours ago but the weather was nice and I was having a barbeque!^^ Anyway, enjoy the new chapter! :P I think you will like it...*swifty eyes***_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except for the city name (hence why it's ridiculous!lol)**_

* * *

"Oi, kids, wake up," Kisame's voice boomed through their room as they shot awake. Sasori groaned and rubbed his eyes, having gotten barely any sleep the previous night. Hidan cussed their captain as his laughter carried back to them from the retreating man.

"Shut up Hidan, just be down for breakfast in ten minutes," he yelled, drawing snickers from onlookers, who found Captain Hoshigaki's treatment of his team highly amusing.

Sasori, Deidara and Hidan refused to see the funny side before their cup of morning coffee. As they dragged their miserable forms from bed and proceeded to get dressed and equipped with weapons, they all plotted the blue skinned man's slow and painful and early morning demise.

"C'mon brat," Sasori grunted, leading the other two done to the cafeteria. Kisame, Itachi and Kakuzu were already seated at a table. The three youngest team members flopped into their seats and dropped their heads on the table simultaneously. Kisame snickered at them as they proceeded to get coffee, feeling around the table without bothering to look up.

"You're a bunch of teenagers," Kisame chortled, "This'll never get old!"

Hidan flipped him off, Sasori shot him a death glare and Deidara simply chugged down three cups of coffee before perking up and smiling at Kisame.

"Good morning un!" he chirped, buttering his toast. Kakuzu rolled his eyes and returned to his own breakfast.

"You're all bipolar I swear," he muttered. Hidan smirked at him, precious coffee clutched in both hands.

"You love it really," he snickered, receiving a smack to the back of the head. Sasori, Deidara and Kisame all snickered at the pair. The redhead turned to his captain and lowered his voice.

"Am I really in charge of the three back up ships?" he asked nervously. Kisame nodded, smiling reassuringly.

"Don't worry about it kid, you'll do great," he stated, "Just follow instinct and make sure no one dies."

"Jeez, no pressure then," Sasori snorted, "Speaking of which, I have an idea. Since we have three targets and three spare ships, can we fool the enemy into thinking that we have all of the hostages. While we are luring away the defence systems, the other three ships can safely escape. Plus if the targets are in separate ships, even if one ship is destroyed, we will still have a few of the hostages left to interrogate."

Kisame mulled this over, glancing at Itachi who nodded.

"That actually sounds like a good idea," the raven stated, "We can tell Pein this and inform the other pilots we will be working with."

Itachi and Kisame hurried out to speak to the rebel leader about the new plan. They also went to go over it with the pilots who would be helping them carry out the mission.

Deidara smiled at Sasori, ears flickering.

"You're really smart Danna un," he said, tone full of admiration. The redhead smirked and nodded.

"It's also because I don't want them defending my ship with their lives," he stated, "Now I can protect them without fear of jeopardising the mission."

The blonde nodded and nibbled on his food some more.

* * *

They left the canteen swiftly after breakfast and made their way to the office to pick up Kisame, Itachi and their other pilots.

"Kisame, we need to leave soon," Sasori stated, walking into the office. The blue skinned man nodded and beckoned everyone out to gather weapons and assemble near the ships.

"Sasori, your plan has been cleared," Itachi stated, "However, you will now be in charge of ensuring that the defence systems follow you. Do you know what this means?"

The redhead nodded. However this statement perked the interests of his blonde partner.

"What does it mean un?" he demanded, ears flickering back and forth. Itachi regarded the teen coolly.

"There is a high chance that his ship will be hit, possibly even destroyed," he said as if discussing the weather, "However since he is remarkable at evasive manoeuvring he should be fine."

Deidara felt his stomach drop, but quickly shook off the feeling remembering that he would be with the pilot whatever happened.

"Okay un," he muttered. Everyone went to kit up and then leave for the ships. Deidara's stomach started doing backflips as he cast a backwards glance at the rebel camp before following his five teammates onto the ship. Once again, he took the seat closest to the cockpit, while his Danna sat down and ran system checks, with his fellow pilots.

"This is Akasuna, requesting confirmation to take off over," Sasori said boredly, once he had finished checking the ship over.

"_Confirmed Akasuna, you have the skies, over."_

The redhead smirked and took off, along with the other three ships. They sped off towards the new city.

It was the capital of the country they were currently in. This city was called Soalup and had a population of just fewer than nine million. It was also on the other side of the country and would take a full day to get to.

"We will arrive just after night fall," Kisame said to his team, "Once we get to the city, follow every order I give you; these targets are very important. If we screw this up, we won't get another lead like this for a long time."

Everyone nodded and sat back, trying to prepare for the mission once they got there.

Sasori checked in with the other pilots every two hours. They were all doing fine and surprisingly, they didn't seem to mind being under his leadership. Sasori had expected some resentment but was met with none. Pein must have talked them around to the idea.

* * *

"Sasori, how far away are we?" Kisame called from his seat. Sasori checked his dashboard and smirked a little.

"We'll be right on top of them in ten minutes," he replied, "Sit tight, we're gonna have to keep a low profile from here on out."

The four ships, powered down a little to quietly glide through the sky towards the city. Sasori held back a gasp at how incredible the view was. He heard a sharp intake of breath just behind him, indicating that Deidara was also impressed by the sight.

The entire city was composed of tall skyscrapers, made of steel and glass. Neon lights blinked, swirled and flashed brilliant shades of pink, red, green, blue and purple all around the structures advertising, intriguing and enticing anyone who set eyes on them. There were twisting roads built up, snaking their way around, under and even through some of the buildings.

"This is the city of Soalup," Sasori mused.

"It's amazing un!" Deidara exclaimed. Smirking he glanced back at the blonde.

"We haven't come to sight see brat, we have work to do!" he stated teasingly. Deidara blushed and smiled apologetically.

"_Sasori, we have five minutes before the security notices our presence,"_ one of the pilots said urgently. Sasori cursed quietly.

"Okay that should be enough time to get to the first target building," he said sternly, "If we can load that hostage into your ship, then we can continue to the next building."

"_Okay, just give me the call."_

Sasori ordered the three ships to form a perimeter around his ship. They proceeded to the first building and Sasori landed on the roof, while the other three ships hovered above, keeping an eye out for enemies.

"Kisame, go," Sasori called, opening the hatch. Kisame grinned and the four soldiers grabbed weapons.

"Weapons tight people," he shouted over the sound of the four engines, "I want this by the book and fuck up free! That means you Hidan."

"Fuck off!"

Sasori and Deidara snickered as they waited behind, the blonde covering the entrance hatch and the redhead keeping an eye on his radar for any enemies.

They waited for a maddening ten minutes while the others stormed the penthouse apartment and finally waltzed out, dragging a terrified and previously smartly dressed Sonda. Sasori called for the first ship to fly down and quickly take over the hostage. He laughed when the Sonda screamed and nearly wet himself as Kisame threw him into the ship, over a five foot gap between the opened hatch and the building's roof. Sasori was surprised by how strong the captain was, if he was able to throw someone that fat that far.

"Right moving to second objective," he called, closing the hatch once everyone was piled in. They flew to the second building, this time encountering missiles.

"Hang on!" Sasori yelled as he flipped the ship to avoid a missile and sped towards the next building, "Everyone, protect the hostage!"

Once he had landed on the second building, he dropped off his team and guided the ship off the building.

"What are you doing Danna un?" Deidara demanded urgently. Sasori shook his head.

"I can't stay in one place for too long or they will lock onto the ship and we will be dead!" he snapped, "Let me work here brat, you just do your job. We'll pick them up after they hand over the target to the second ship."

Deidara flinched but nodded at the harsh tones. He kept his weapon close to him and allowed Sasori to work his magic, to keep the ship in the air.

Avoiding another missile, he followed the second ship down towards the building. Once the target had been secured, he guided the ship down to pick up Kisame and the others.

"Sasori, things are going crazy, we need to get the next hostage now," Kisame called urgently, "He'll have been alerted by know if he has any idea what we want from them."

The human pilot nodded, sweat beads trickling down his forehead as he flew to the next rooftop. Sonda were stationed on it, shooting at the vessel as he circled above.

"Kisame, I'll have to cut the enemy numbers before I can land," he stated angrily, "Hold on!"

Everyone held on as he swerved sharply and used the ships built in weapons. He aimed two missiles at the rooftop and fired. They zipped through the air like oversized bullets and exploded on impact with the roof, blowing up most of the enemies, burning a few others and knocking the rest off the building, to fall to their deaths below.

"Right, get the last hostage before he gets away," Sasori shouted, landing them on what was left of the roof. For the final time, Kisame, Itachi, Kakuzu and Hidan disappeared into the smoking and burning building.

Sasori took off again and took note of the other ships. The two holding hostages were mostly intact, the pilots performing impressive aerial stunts to avoid incoming missiles.

"Danna un!" Deidara yelped pointing to the right. Sasori looked over, his face paling when he saw the third ship burst into flames on impact with an explosive.

"Shit!" he cursed. Dodging several more missiles, he steered the ship back towards the building to pick up Kisame, who was dragging out the final target. He glanced up at the ship and tossed the final target in, beckoning everyone else inside.

"Where's the other ship?" Kisame demanded. Sasori shook his head.

"They got hit," he replied, swallowing the lump in his throat, "Never stood a chance."

Kisame sighed and patted his shoulder.

"Let's get outta here."

The redhead nodded and steered the ship out, accelerating to full speed, ordering the other two ships to follow.

"We got the three targets," Kisame stated, "That was a mission well done."

Everyone nodded, Hidan chuckling sadistically at the bound and gagged Sonda official.

"Next we can have some fun," he snickered.

Sasori said nothing as they brought up the rear for the flight home. Looking back, they were roughly ten miles away from the city. Deidara smiled at him from his seat.

"Well done Danna un," he said gently, "You did so well."

Sasori gave him a weak smile and looked back ahead. Glancing down at the radar, he frowned at a small blip that was flashing up at him from the very bottom of the screen.

His eyes widened in realisation as it approached much more quickly than a craft.

"Shit, incoming missile!" he exclaimed, swerving to avoid it. The missile changed direction and dived through the air straight for them; Sasori's eyes widened and he manoeuvred away from it. It clipped the left side and destroyed one of the engines.

"Fuck, fuck fuck!" he exclaimed, "Everyone brace for impact!"

Everyone secured themselves in their seats as the ship began to lose altitude and fall through the air. Sasori tried to slow down their descent as they plummeted towards the ground. He managed to pull the ship's nose up slightly, encouraging the ship to move forward instead of down.

He shut his eyes tight as the ship hit the ground running, flipping over and skidding through the hard cracked earth, carving a trench through the ground.

* * *

The impact was like a small death. As the ship came to a halt, Sasori could hear groans and whimpers of pain and someone talking.

"Everyone alright?"

It was Kisame.

Then Itachi and Hidan spoke; they were okay.

Kakuzu said the prisoner was fine.

"Deidara, Sasori? You two okay?"

"I-ack-I'm fine un," Deidara said although his voice was strained.

Sasori tried to speak, but he couldn't. His body was on fire. Attempting to open his eyes, he realised his was lying on the roof; his pilot chair was crushing him, having been ripped up. He could see someone running towards him.

"Danna? Sasori un? Answer me!"

Ah…Deidara was talking to him. He groaned in response.

"Dei-Deidara," he murmured, unable to move more than a few twitches of his hand. The blonde pushed the chair off him and gasped, falling to his knees.

"Danna un," he whimpered, leaning down to look him in the eye. The blonde looked terrible. He had a gash across his forehead, with blood coating the right half of his face and his clothes were torn, bloody and dirty. With the chair finally off him, he was able to move some more.

"Dei, why-agh- why th-the long f-face?" he asked with a smirk, attempting to sit up, crying out when he felt a searing hot pain shoot through his body and flopped back onto his left side. He looked down and frowned at the sight of a metal fragment, the length of his forearm digging through the right side of his abdomen and jutting out of his back.

"D-don't move un," Deidara murmured, tears streaming down his blood-stained face, "I'll-I'll get Kisame."

Sasori nodded and lay still, his wounds throbbing as he watched Kisame, Itachi and Kakuzu hurry over to him with his brat while Hidan watched over the hostage, a foot on his back and a gun to the fat Sonda's head.

"Shit, that looks bad," Kisame muttered, looking it over. Sasori lay as still as possible. Even breathing hurt.

"Hmm, I don't think it hit any of his major arteries or organs," Kakuzu uttered, running his hands around the injury, "Although, if I pull this out, he might bleed to death. He needs surgery soon."

"C-can you help him un?" Deidara asked, his voice thick with emotion. Sasori smiled a little and reached his hand out to the blonde. Deidara took it and gave it a squeeze.

"D-don't worry, brat," he mumbled, "I'll…live."

"We need to pull it out," Itachi stated, "It will be easier to bandage if we do and it should help stop the bleeding."

"Alright, Sasori, we need to pull it out," Kisame said slowly, "This will hurt. A lot."

The redhead nodded a little, squeezing Deidara's hand tighter. Kakuzu told Sasori to bite down on a rag to stop him from biting his tongue.

"Right, hold him down while I pull this out," he ordered, "He can't move too much or the metal could clip something major and make him bleed more. Deidara distract him."

The blonde nodded and murmured into the redhead's ear.

"Remember, you have to prove to me art is eternal un," he said almost teasingly.

Kisame held down Sasori's lower body while Itachi held his torso still.

"We're gonna go to Egypt remember Danna un?" Deidara muttered. Sasori smiled and held his hand tighter as Kakuzu placed his hands on the metal plate.

"Okay hold him down," Kakuzu muttered, "Three…two…one…go!"

Sasori screamed and bit down on the rag in his mouth as Kakuzu pulled the metal out. His attempts to thrash away from the pain were stopped by Itachi and Kisame who held down his much smaller frame.

"Danna, calm down un," Deidara exclaimed, "It's okay, remember? Think about art. Your puppets! How do you make them? Your collection. You're gonna add more right?"

Sasori breathed harshly, crying out as the metal was jerked out of his flesh and thrown to the side, covered in his blood.

"Quickly, put pressure on the wound, he's bleeding everywhere," Kakuzu said urgently. Kisame grabbed a first aid kit and threw it at Kakuzu. The stitched up Sonda swiftly pressed down wads of cloth against the wounds, wrapping bandages around them to secure them against the injuries and prevent him from bleeding out.

"Okay, we need to get him back to camp for surgery," Kakuzu stated, "He'll last a bit longer now."

Kisame cursed and combed his fingers through his hair.

"We're on the wrong side of the damn country!" he exclaimed, kicking the side of the ruined ship, "Itachi, get on that radio and see if it works."

The raven nodded and climbed up to the cockpit. Kisame listened to his partner speak in clicks, chirps and birdlike sounds, attempting to get a response.

"Hidan, check outside, see if anyone is around," Kisame snapped. The Jashinist tore his eyes away from the weak and bloody pilot to nod at his captain and left the wreckage.

He scanned the surrounding terrain. There was nothing but cracked earth for miles in every direction, the city, now a small colourful blemish on the velvety black sky.

Grimacing, he walked back inside.

"Absolutely fuck all, except ground and the freezing cold," he grunted, "We can only hope a ship is sent for us."

Kisame nodded.

"Let's get a fire started, might as well do something," he stated, glancing back towards Sasori and Deidara, "Leave them alone."

Hidan nodded but glanced at the pair anyway. Sasori was still in pretty much the same position they had found him in except now, there was no metal sticking out of him. Deidara was lying beside him, their hands intertwined, tears falling from the blonde's eyes as he stared at the redhead's pale, unconscious face.

* * *

Sasori opened his eyes blearily, feeling really warm. It was really quiet now. He glanced around and realised he was wrapped in the arms of Deidara, who was fast asleep. He smiled a little and brushed a few strands of bloody, blonde hair away from his face.

"Dei-dara," he whispered, "W-wake up."

The blonde stirred and opened his feline, azure blue eyes. He smiled, tiredly at the redhead and snuggled closer.

"You're alright now un?" he asked quietly. Sasori nodded, although truthfully, he felt terrible. Deidara smiled and leaned in closer, his lips brushing over the redheads, causing him to blush lightly.

"Good un," he mumbled, pressing their lips together a little harder. Sasori, without thinking much, pushed back and kissed him chastely on the lips.

* * *

_**Hee hee, their first kiss :P Thought you would like this chapter...if you didn't your expectations are too high! :P Anyway, now you all have to wait and see if Sasori survives...*evil smile* Again, thank you to everyone who has reviewed! :D Pretty please review! Love you all :3**_


	14. Chapter 14

_******Hey guys! So sorry it's been a whole week but I found this chapter really hard to write...I don't like it at all! -_- Hopefully you can forgive me and try to enjoy but I'll get it if you don't. This chapter was a total bitch! DX**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto but I do own a new pair of sexy headphones! :D  
**_

* * *

Everyone huddled around the small fire in complete silence, nothing but the crackling of flames and the occasional call of a wild animal breaking it.

Everyone's wounds had been treated as best as possible with the few medical kits they had but almost everyone, refused treatment, in favour of aiding Sasori. The pilot was pale and bloody; the bandages wrapped around his abdomen already turning red around the wounds. He was resting on the hard ground, with his, Kisame's and Kakuzu's jackets covering his small form. Kisame had carried him out of the wreckage after he and Deidara had woken up. He was shivering a little in the freezing cold of the desert's night but so was everyone.

"I may be able to repair the radio in the ship," Itachi stated, emerging from the wreckage of the ship, "However, I will need your help Kakuzu."

The stitched Sonda nodded and stood up immediately, following the raven into the ship. Hidan watched them go, his eyes a steely magenta shade. He edged a little closer to Kisame who was barely taking his eyes off his pilot who was snuggled against Deidara, both fast asleep.

"What the fuck are we gonna do if we have to trek back?" Hidan asked quietly, so as not to wake his teammates, "Sasori's not gonna survive a fucking day in this shithole let alone the whole way back."

Kisame growled, forcing his eyes to tear away from the fragile pair.

"If we leave Sasori, then Deidara will never go with us," he snapped, "That kid is too attached to him to leave him to die alone."

Hidan sighed irritably, running a hand through his dirty, dishevelled hair.

"Well, hopefully, we can get that fucking radio fixed," he muttered, "Kakuzu can fix fucking anything; that guys pretty fucking insane with machines."

Kisame grimaced a little.

"I hope you're right," Kisame muttered, dropping his head in his hands, "I cannot lose another pilot Hidan. I can't lose another friend. And this one was less than half the other's age. He's a fucking child!"

Hidan nodded and patted his captain on the back. The last time they had lost their pilot, was a huge blow. Kisame had almost quit over it and was bordering a breakdown. Thankfully, his strong character had saved him and the whole team while he had vowed to never lose a man again.

"Kisame," Kakuzu called, walking out quickly, "The radio is salvageable but it could take me a while to repair. Without the proper tools it's gonna take a bit longer."

Kisame nodded and got to his feet.

"Right, there are some tools you can use in the ship."

The two men walked back into the ship discussing what had to be done. Hidan drew his knees up to his chest and watched his two friends sleep. The blonde was muttering, chirping and whimpering; clearly whatever he was dreaming was upsetting or disturbing.

* * *

_The small blonde's head was spinning from the rushes of people, the loud bangs and brilliant lights that were no longer from the fireworks. His feline eyes darted about frantically as he searched for any sign of his mother or his sister._

"_Mom un!" he cried out, getting shoved around but much larger Sonda who didn't seem to notice his presence, let alone his distress_

_Tears welled up in his eyes as he began to lose hope of finding her again._

"_Dei-Chan!" _

_He wheeled around to see his mother, he raced for her, launching himself into her open arms as she grabbed his small form and gripped his sister's hand, pulling them down a small side street and into a small abandoned building. She crouched down in a small dark corner, hidden from the bright orange lights and loud scary noises, drowned out only by loud screams._

"_Mommy what's happening out there?" asked Aiko, huddling close to her mother's side, one of her arms draped protectively over her, the other arm wrapped tightly around him as he huddled into her chest._

"_Something bad Aiko yeah," his mother whispered, "But we will be fine once daddy comes."_

_He flinched when he heard a louder bang and shouting._

_They were getting closer._

"_Search these buildings! Captain said leave no survivors!"_

_Feeling his mother tense, the little blonde peeked up at her face, seeing a look of pure horror. Tears pricked his eyes which she looked down and immediately wiped away, kissing his forehead._

"_Don't cry Dei-Chan yeah," she whispered, ears flat against her skull, "I need you two to do something for me."_

_Both Deidara and Aiko exchanged looks before nodding, hugging their mother tight. She smiled at them, although it was strained as they heard doors being kicked in._

"_I need the both of you to hide over there yeah," she whispered, "I'm going to lead the bad men away. Then I will come back and get you yeah."_

_The two children shook their heads and clung to their mother like new-borns. The blonde woman felt tears prick her eyes at the thought of leaving her babies but she knew they would be discovered by the soldiers if she didn't act._

"_Aiko-Chan," she said, lovingly stroking her daughter's hair, "You look after Dei-Chan now, my love. I'm counting on you yeah."_

_With a smile and a kiss to the forehead, she hugged her little girl before turning her attention to her five year old son. His blue eyes brimmed with tears as she smiled and kissed them away from his cheeks._

"_You're my little artist Dei-Chan yeah," she murmured, hugging him tight, "You look after your sister. And never stop following your dream. Keep your loved ones close yeah."_

_The little blonde nodded, hugging his mother tightly, inhaling her scent. Aiko took his small hand and lead him away as their mother snuck out the door and ran off in the opposite direction. The boy wanted to cry out to her but he was pulled away by his sister, who held his hand tight as she zipped through the back of the building and into the street._

_His sister gasped and quickly picked him up and hid his face in her neck, but not before he caught a glimpse of the horror she was trying to shield him from._

_Bodies lay everywhere, bullets holes riddling them, blood soaking the ground. Burning buildings illuminated the carnage as Aiko tried to find a way out of the nightmare._

"_Don't worry Dei-Chan, we'll be okay," she whispered, attempting to calm him down. He gripped her tighter as she scurried down an alleyway as soldiers began to run past them, feral grins plastered across their faces as they waved their weapons around, jeering their victims._

_Aiko glared at them but her glare soon turned to that of shock and confusion when the fires lit up the monsters' faces. _

_They were Sonda…murdering everyone._

"_Oi, there's someone over there!" one of the soldiers yelled, pointing in their direction. Aiko's eyes widened as she ran from them, as fast as she could. Her little brother was slowing her down so she put him down and pulled him along as he ran beside her._

"_Get back here you brats!" one of them roared, firing his weapon. A pain filled scream from his left told him that Aiko was down. He gave her a pleading look._

"_Aiko-Nii, get up un," he whimpered, "Please!"_

_Aiko had blood pouring from her mouth, terrifying the five year old blonde. He cried out and pulled on her hand._

"_Aiko-Nii!" he cried, "Please un!"_

"_R-run, D-D-Dei-Chan!" she gasped, the life leaving her eyes. Everything slowed down as he had to watch the life bleed from his sister. As tears streamed down his face, the image of his sister shifted._

_Right before his eyes, the girl before him changed and morphed into a red haired human male._

_His eyes widened as the figure shakily lifted his head to look up at the blonde. He gasped and tried to get away but the male gently grasped for his hand and pulled him closer._

"_Don't be afraid."_

_Then everything went dark._

* * *

"Hey kid you alright?"

Deidara snapped from his trance to give Kisame a weak smile. He couldn't forget the dream he had had. He used to having nightmares about the night he lost his family. But for his sister to have transformed into Sasori… it scared him.

"I'm fine Kisame un," he replied quietly, "Just thinking."

The captain nodded and walked over to check on Sasori. He gently shook the redhead's shoulder. A groaned was heard as the pilot opened his eyes slowly.

"Hey, Akasuna," the captain said cheerfully, "Kakuzu and Itachi are working on the radio and it's nearly fixed. We'll be able to get you out of here soon. Just hang in there."

Sasori nodded, shifting a little, hissing in pain as he did. He glanced towards Deidara who blushed and averted his gaze. Kisame watched them both for a moment before shrugging and asking Hidan for a hand moving things inside the wreckage.

"Deidara…wh-what happened?" he asked quietly, his voice raspy. The blonde scooted closer cautiously, his blush still prominent.

"W-well, w-we got hit by a missile un," he explained, "Th-then you were…hurt…really badly. B-but Kakuzu and all saved you."

Sasori frowned and looked over the blonde. Even in his really weak state, he could tell something was wrong.

"Brat," he murmured, What's…wrong?"

The blonde shook his head quickly, flashing a strained smile.

"Oh no-nothing Danna un!" he said brightly, "You should focus on resting. We may need to walk places and you lost loads of blood un!"

Sasori sighed and nodded, feeling lightheaded and weak. And he couldn't help but feel like he had forgotten something important.

"Did…something else happen?" he asked, eyes drooping. Deidara swallowed and shook his head quickly. He wasn't about to tell the redhead although it broke his heart to think Sasori had forgotten about their kiss. Shaking his head, he sighed and rested his head between his knees, feeling the freezing night air run it's icy fingers through his long blonde hair.

* * *

"Guys! The radio's fixed," Kisame yelled excitedly, "We're sending out a call now!"

The pair nodded, Deidara instantly brightening up and grabbing Sasori's hand.

"You're gonna be alright now Danna un!" he babbled, "We'll get you back and the nurses will fix you!"

The redhead nodded slowly, curling his fingers around the blonde's weakly. Kakuzu made his way out of the wreckage with Hidan carrying a medic kit.

"Sasori, I need to check your wounds," he stated. The pilot nodded once, letting go of his partner's hand. Deidara moved back, although his eyes never left Sasori's face, which was visibly paler and covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

Kakuzu helped him sit up a bit, getting him to lean on Hidan as he cut away the bandages which were soaked with blood, revealing the gaping hole in the red head's side. Deidara turned away from the sight as the pilot gasped in pain, his breath becoming ragged.

Kakuzu grimaced at the injury. He needed to get proper treatment or it would become infected and cause even more problems. Already the redhead was coming down with a fever, his skin hot to the touch.

Wrapping up the wounds, he made sure they were secured tightly and allowed the pilot to lie back after getting him to drink plenty of water.

"Don't move around too much and if you begin to feel worse, tell someone immediately," Kakuzu warned sternly. Sasori nodded, his eyes drifting shut. Deidara shifted closer and felt his forehead.

"Wow, Danna you're really hot un," he said in a worried voice, "You feel okay?"

Sasori cracked an eye open and smirked a little.

"I feel…great…knowing that you think…I'm hot," he teased, causing the blonde to blush violently. He withdrew his hand and hugged his knees to his chest. Sasori chuckled a little but it soon turned to a coughing fit. Deidara helped him sit up a bit to cough up the blood and stop him from choking on the red liquid. Placing a hand on the pilot's back, he rubbed small gentles circles as Sasori held his other hand over his chest.

"Try to stop coughing Danna un," he murmured, "You've already lost a lot of blood."

Sasori nodded and heaved after his coughing fit. He focused on calming his breathing as Deidara helped him lie down.

"Thanks Deidara," he murmured, his brown pools gazing up at Deidara, albeit a much duller sheen to them than in previous times. The blonde smiled at him, stretched out and lay down to stare up at the sky.

It was now early morning and the sky was a light baby blue streaked with pink, yellow, orange and red. Not a single cloud obstructed the pretty canvas of pastel colours. Deidara smiled and chirped a little, humming his song.

Sasori listened to it, his head pounding and his side on fire. The peaceful and pretty sound was helping him take his mind off his pain.

* * *

Itachi was internally jumping up and down with relief when he got a signal and had sent out the distress call. He hurried over to Kisame who was still beating himself up.

"Kisame, a ship is being sent," he said coolly, "The other two pilots realised we had crashed and one is coming back. They just had to leave off their prisoners."

Kisame let out a huge sigh of relief and thoughtlessly hugged the raven. Itachi's eyes widened slightly and his pale cheeks dusted with a light pink as he awkwardly hugged back.

"Thank god, Itachi, you're a life saver," he said with a toothy grin, "Literally."

Itachi was released and he nodded, his eyes glancing outside at the sky.

"We will need to move Sasori inside or he will get dehydrated in the heat," he stated absently, "The ship will be here at the end of the day."

Kisame nodded and watched the younger male move outside; smirking at the blush he had not missed on Itachi's cheeks. The kid was cute when he blushed, he noted.

* * *

_See what I mean? I really didn't like it...-_- Although I did get some development in there and stuff... Anyway, today is a special day as I am now 17! :3 This probably would have been up sooner but I was out celebrating my birthday with all my friends and bottom bitches! :D Anyway, please review and stuff! love you all! ^^ And again, I'm really sorry about the week long wait...I'll try to be faster with the next chapter._ :)


	15. Chapter 15

_**Hurray! New chapter :3 Hey did anyone catch the Olympic opening ceremony? It was pretty epic! I loved the part with James Bond (Daniel Craig) and the ACTUAL queen! :D GO ON LIZZY! X3 I love British humour!:D Anyway, next chapter (finally you say!) I know, I'm sorry for the long wait again but I've been so busy this week, what with friends' birthdays and I had to go shopping and I went to see the new Batman movie on Monday :D Fucking epic by the way! 3 Anyway, enough of me, on with the story! :D**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
**_

* * *

A full day had passed since the crash and a ship had been called for but wouldn't be arriving until sundown. Everyone had moved back into the destroyed ship to avoid the unforgiving heat of the sun's rays outside. Kisame and Itachi were talking quietly next to the radio, Hidan was watching the prisoner and Kakuzu was helping Deidara look after Sasori.

The pilot was getting worse much more quickly than anyone had initially thought. He had lost enough blood to render him unconscious and his fever had spiked. Deidara had rested a damp cloth on his forehead but was unable to do anything else except watch the redhead's chest rise and fall gently. Kakuzu looked through their first aid supply and growled.

"We have no more bandages," he stated, "The best we can do now is wait for the rescue and get him back as soon as possible."

The blonde nodded, his blue eyes dull as he watched his friend carefully. Kakuzu left him alone and went to Hidan's side.

"All of this trouble better have been worth it," he grunted, "If we get nothing for our efforts there will be hell to pay."

Hidan shrugged, playing with a knife while glaring at the hostage.

"As long as we get to have some fun with this fucker, I'll be fucking happy," he growled, "And if Sasori dies, I'm gonna bring him back and fucking kill him again!"

Kakuzu snorted at the statement.

"Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of bringing him back?" he queried, "You humans are full of surprises."

Hidan smirked and shot a big grin at his Sonda partner.

"And you miserable Sonda bastards aren't too bad yourselves," he said cheerfully, "I thought you would be a bunch of cold fuckers but here we fucking are!"

Kakuzu smirked and cast a glance over his two Sonda teammates. Hidan followed his gaze, finally landing on Deidara who was dozing off, his hand entwined with Sasori's.

"Are there many like him?" Hidan asked casually, jerking his head in the teen's direction. Kakuzu shook his head with a smirk.

"No. I've never come across a Sonda who is as affectionate or 'cute' I believe is the word you would use, as him," he replied, "Most of us would be very reluctant to form such a bond with a human. Deidara is one of a kind."

Hidan chuckled a little and nodded his head. He lightly punched Kakuzu's shoulder in a friendly manner.

"Aww, but you fucking love me right?" he joked, "I'm fucking epic!"

To his surprise, Kakuzu chuckled and lightly punched the soldier back.

"You're a pain in the ass, but you make things more…interesting," he replied. Hidan grinned devilishly, his magenta eyes twinkling. Kakuzu noticed his whole appearance became much younger when he smiled like that. A question struck him.

"How old are you again?" he asked casually.

"I'm twenty two," he replied, "I've been in the fucking military since I was sixteen. My dad thought I was too much of a fucking handful and figured I'd be fucking useful in the army."

Kakuzu smirked.

"I'm not surprised he found you a handful," he stated, "I sympathise with your father."

Hidan smirked.

"Hey, my old man wasn't that fucking bad, hell he helped me out all the damn time!" he said proudly, "He just wanted me to make something of myself or some shit like that. I bet he's hoping I become a fucking war hero or something!"

Kakuzu listened quietly as he spoke. He wasn't surprised to hear that Hidan's father was almost as bad as him. It was interesting to hear about his personal life though. Hidan didn't seem like the kind to have such good relationships with people and yet, he seemed to have a lot of friends.

"What about you?" he asked casually, "You have any family?"

Kakuzu was a little surprised by the question. After much hesitation he answered.

"I've never really had time for family," he replied slowly, "My mother died when I was young and my father poured his life into his work as a doctor. I was looked after by my aunt. She was a strict woman but she was caring."

The Sonda fell silent, his ears twitching a little as he reminisced. Hidan felt it was best to not disturb him and began to pick at a loose seam on his rather tatter shirt.

"I don't even understand why I am telling you this," Kakuzu muttered, "It doesn't help anything."

Hidan shrugged.

"Sometimes talking helps," he muttered, "And hey, we're fucking friends right? We should be able to talk about shit like that."

"Friends?" Kakuzu queried, blinking with mild surprise. Hidan grinned cheekily at him.

"Of fucking course!" he exclaimed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "You saved my life more than once; you helped me with my damn phobia. And I kinda fucking like you!"

Kakuzu smirked.

"'Kinda like me'," he mimicked. Hidan rolled his eyes.

"Okay, I don't wanna kill you every five shitting minutes like I do with every other moron I've ever had to work with!" he joked. Kakuzu rolled his eyes and simply watched the younger soldier for a while.

* * *

Deidara lay down next to Sasori, feeling a little woozy. The air in the wreck was stuffy and heavy, causing the teen a headache. He sighed as he rested his head on the cooling metal. Hand still entwined with Sasori's, he checked the pilot over for any sign of discomfort.

"How you doing kid?"

Deidara rolled over to have his face within an inch of Kisame's boots. Glancing up, he saw the blue male looking rather concerned. He smiled weakly, his ears flickering as he sat up.

"I just have a headache un," he replied quietly, "The air in here it's…too heavy."

Kisame nodded and ruffled his hair, drawing guttural noises from the blonde as he leaned into the touch.

"That feels nice un," he said happily. Kisame chuckled and knelt down beside Deidara.

"How is he?" he asked, checking Sasori's temperature. Deidara's exterior drooped miserably.

"He's getting worse un," he mumbled, "But…he'll be okay…right?"

Kisame nodded determinedly, "He just needs to hang in there for another hour or two and then he can be treated."

Deidara whistled a little, stroking the redhead's cheek.

"He promised to take me to Egypt un," he muttered, with a small smile, "To prove art is eternal. But I know it's not."

"Art?" Kisame queried, "Why would art not be eternal then?"

Deidara shrugged.

"Because, beauty and good things don't last un," he mumbled, "Nothing lasts…not for us at least."

Kisame frowned at the usually happy go lucky kid. He had a defeated aura that was somewhat frightening coming from him. Placing an arm around the blonde's shoulder, he gave a reassuring grin.

"Don't worry Deidara," he said firmly, "Some things can last. Maybe not art but good things can last. We just need to fight and not lose hope. You hear me? Cause if you stop fighting, that's when good things end."

Deidara blinked owlishly, before smiling gently and nodding slowly.

"Okay Captain un," he mumbled. Kisame grinned and stood up to face a somewhat sour looking Itachi. He frowned a little.

"Something wrong Itachi?" he asked, concern lacing his voice. The raven shook his head and pulled him away from the blonde and the pilot.

"Do you think you should be weaving false hope into his head?" he asked quietly, "It is try that while Sasori has a fighting chance as long as the ship arrives soon, his probability for survival is dropping by the minute."

Kisame growled lowly in his throat.

"He will live," he said slowly, "Do not think otherwise Itachi. I will make sure of it."

Itachi lowered his gaze to the floor.

"I respect your need for hope," he uttered quietly, "But it is just cruel in the end."

Kisame sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"It's important to have it," he replied, "Without it; people would give up too easily. We wouldn't succeed in anything if we don't have it. Deidara need it at the moment. Sasori needs it too. Please don't take it from them Itachi, even if you think it would be kinder on them."

The black haired Sonda twitched his ears, eyes flickering between Kisame and Deidara.

"You don't want hope taken from you either," he murmured, "You need it too, don't you?"

Kisame cast his eyes away and nodded curtly. A tiny smile crept up on the Sonda's face.

"If hope is what you need, then fine," he said gently, "No need to feel ashamed, Kisame."

The blue skinned man grinned and ruffled his hair. Itachi found himself purring as he leaned into the touch. Kisame chuckled, causing Itachi to blush lightly, his rose pink cheeks sitting out starkly against his pale skin.

"C'mon," he said, "Let's go see if that damn ship is here."

Itachi nodded and followed the human out of the wreck.

* * *

Deidara cracked his eyes open when he heard excited shouting and something else, loud and roaring outside. Lifting his upper body from the ground, he looked outside and saw Kisame running into the wreck.

"Ship's here!" he exclaimed, "We have to move Sasori now. They've brought medics with them."

The blonde shot to his feet, black spots swimming into his vision as he stood up too fast. Steadying himself, he helped Kisame lift Sasori as carefully as possible. A small whimper escaped from the pilot's lips as his wounds pressed against Kisame's chest.

"C'mon kid, he's gonna be fine now," Kisame stated reassuringly. Deidara nodded, practically running to the ship. Kakuzu had already secured the hostage and was speaking with the medics in urgent clicks and chirps.

The medics, following Kakuzu's lead, raced over and took the small human from Kisame's their way onto the ship which was a much larger version of their original combat aircraft. Inside, there was a small area with a stainless steel operating table and necessary medical equipment. The medics carried the redhead straight to the table and began to cut away his clothing, revealing his pale and bloodied upper body. The blood soaked bandages were also cut away from the gory mess underneath.

Kisame dragged Deidara away from the operating table and forced him to sit down and buckled him in.

"Don't move from here," he ordered, "You need rest and treatment too."

The blonde grumbled but nodded sullenly, as a free medic began to treat the rest of the team. Deidara winced as the large cut on his forehead was stitched up.

"_How is Sasori un?" _he asked quietly in chirps and clicks. The medic frowned but then realised who he was talking about.

"_I'm not sure,"_ he replied, _"I would need to ask. I was assigned to help you and the others."_

The blonde nodded, his ears drooping. Once he was healed, the medic left him alone to rest in the seat.

Kisame and Hidan were seated on either side of him, closest to the operating area. Kisame and Hidan were biting their bottom lips as they heard the urgency in the tones of the medics. Deidara felt tears slip from his eyes as he listened.

"_He has lost at least three pints of blood, his fever is dangerously high and the wound is slightly infected."_

"_He has a thirty percent chance of surviving if we get back in the next several hours. Any longer than that and he will probably die."_

"_He will need better equipped facilities than this to be completely healed. And medicine for the fever."_

Kisame glanced at Deidara and saw the tears. He wiped them away with a small smile. Deidara smiled back weakly as the ship lifted off the ground and began to speed towards home.

Itachi watched the exchange between the blonde and the captain. A small spike of jealousy welled up which he swiftly squashed down. He found Kisame's actions puzzling and felt he was a puzzle that needed to be solved.

"You alright Itachi?"

The raven was torn from his thoughts as his onyx feline orbs landed on the concerned face of Kisame. He mustered up a tiny smile and nodded, ears flickering a little.

"I'm fine Kisame," he replied, "I was just thinking."

Kisame nodded, grinning slightly.

"Thanks for all your help," he stated, "We never would have gotten out of there alive without your help."

Itachi shook his head.

"Thank me when we get home safely and your pilot is better," he said quietly. Kisame chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"Knew you could be positive," he chuckled, "I will remember to do that."

* * *

The ship came to a stop and landed gently and smoothly in the clearing next to the other ships belonging to the rebels. The first ones to exit the ship were the medics who immediately carried Sasori away to the emergency medical tent. Kisame ordered Deidara to help Kakuzu and Hidan escort the hostage to the location of the others. He and Itachi left to report to Pein.

They walked in silence towards the rebel leader's office. Savouring the familiarity and safety of the camp, Kisame couldn't help but smile a little. Itachi decided not to comment as they headed into the mothership. Their boots clinking along the metal grating was the only sound to be heard as everyone else was either away on missions, working outside or resting in their quarters.

"Itachi!"

Both males turned to see Konan rushing towards them. She threw her arms around the Sonda male, who returned the gesture with mild surprise.

"Thank goodness you're alright," she exclaimed, "We sent a ship as soon as we got the call! The other two ships had gone on ahead in favour of completing the mission. The information the targets can give us is vital. And from the state of your ship, no one could believe you had all survived!"

Itachi nodded and Kisame helped reassure the female Sonda that they understood. She escorted them to the office, where they spoke with the rebel leader.

He was relieved to hear that they had made it back but more so that they had also managed to keep the hostage alive as well.

Pein dismissed the both of them to round up the team and get showered and rest. They were all eternally grateful for the hot water and the warm bed, but a certain blonde was fully aware of someone missing.

* * *

**_Dawwh, DeiDei is sad :'( Oh well, what can ya do!lol Anyway, I would write a long note here but I'm not sure if anyone reads them and my dad got a new iPad which I am off to play with! :3 So pretty please review and hope you enjoyed the chapter :D_**


	16. Chapter 16

_******Hi dear readers! See? I told you I would try to update faster! ^^ Okay, this chapter was much easier to write since the plot and all that is picking up again! :D Yes, fear not! I haven't forgotten there is meant to be a plot (though it wouldn't be surprising if I did :S) Anyway, here's the new chapter. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto but I do owna cute Skelanimals keychain :3  
**_

* * *

Silence…endless silence and darkness. He couldn't see anything, or hear much more. He attempted to move but found every movement was sluggish, like he was in suspended animation.

'This can't be good' he thought to himself, attempting to move more. Looking around, coloured spots were beginning to swarm the darkness and a low buzzing, whirring sound played in his brain.

A sudden jolt tugged at him and he went hurtling down. He felt something slam into him and a bright light exploded into existence.

Clicks and chirps of alarm sounded around him as he choked on something long and slippery in his throat.

"Relax kid," said a deep voice. Sasori couldn't relax his gag reflex as he tried to cough up the tube.

"We're gonna take the breathing tube out now," the voice continued, "Blink twice if you understand."

Sasori complied, only wishing for the choking sensation to stop. He was suddenly pushed back down and the tube was removed. He gasped for air, coughing away the tickling sensation in his throat.

"Thank god you woke up kid," said a relieved voice to his right. Glancing over he saw a blurry blue blob. Blinking several times to clear his vision, he recognised his captain watching him with cautious eyes.

"K-Kisame," he tried to say. It came out as a very hoarse whisper, like he hadn't used his voice in a long time. Kisame sighed with relief and took a seat next to him.

"Good, you remember me," he said casually, "How are you feeling?"

Sasori shrugged as best as he could in his sluggish state. He glanced around to see he was in a secluded tent with a lot of apparatus around him. He also had several tubes going into his arms and he was wearing a nasal cannula.

"Wh-where am I?" Sasori asked, swallowing in an attempt to clear is throat. Kisame glanced down at his lap.

"We're back at the rebel camp," he explained, "You were in a coma."

Sasori's eyes widened and he looked down at himself frantically, trying to see if anything was wrong with him. Kisame chuckled at his startled expression.

"Don't worry, calm down," he said, "But you've been completely out of it for more than two weeks."

Sasori sighed and sank back into his pillows.

"So…what's happened while I was…out of it?" he asked slowly. Kisame ran a hand through his hair.

"We're running low on supplies so Hidan, Kakuzu, Itachi and I are going to help with a supply run," he stated, "We've managed to get all the information we could out of our three government friends. Some of it is rather disturbing and we are gonna wait for you to recover before we make any more moves. You just focus on getting better."

The redhead nodded solemnly. He felt rather guilty for stalling any more potential progress.

"Don't feel too bad," Kisame assured him, sensing his distress, "But since you're awake, you can make Deidara happy. He's been like a zombie while you were asleep."

Sasori nodded, his thoughts being drawn to the blonde.

"Okay, bring him here," he said quietly, "I would like to see him actually."

Kisame grinned and stood up. He waved goodbye to the pilot and ducked out of the tent. Sasori snuggled into the pillows, listening to the steady beeps from the heart monitor. His eyelids felt heavy and he dozed for a while until he heard footsteps running towards him.

"Danna un!"

He sat up quickly, just to feel something blonde and small collide with him. He groaned in pain as the object jumped up and away from him.

"Danna! You're awake! I thought you would die but then Kisame said I shouldn't worry but I did and I was so afraid and- mmff"

Sasori cut him off by pressing his lips against the blonde's. He gasped a little which allowed Sasori to slide his tongue in, mapping and memorising the Sonda's mouth. Deidara wrapped his arms around the redhead, snuggling into him, but still very wary of the tubes that were protruding from his arms. They broke apart, breathing deeply, the heart monitor beeping erratically as they stared into each other's eyes.

"D-Danna?" Deidara murmured, fearing this was a dream. The redhead smiled and stroked his cheek.

"I realised, being so close to death," Sasori whispered, "I didn't want to leave you alone."

Tears formed in the azure blue orbs, his facing lighting with a small smile. The small Sonda chirped and nuzzled the human's neck as the tears slipped down his cheeks. Sasori frowned.

"Why are you crying?" he asked quietly. Deidara shook his head, his ears flickering.

"Th-these are ha-happy tears un," he said quietly, "I-I'm glad yo-you didn't leave me, Danna."

Sasori chuckled gently and wrapped his arms around the teen.

"So Kisame tells me you were miserable when I was out of it," he said quietly, "You shouldn't stop being happy just because I'm not there."

Deidara tensed and made a guttural noise.

"I was just…so worried un," he mumbled, "You make me happy most of the time now."

Sasori smiled and kissed Deidara's temple and rubbed his arm soothingly.

"Don't worry about me," he said simply, "You make me happy too. But even when I'm not there, don't be sad. I don't like seeing you sad."

Deidara chirped and flickered his ears, batting Sasori's face with one of them. The redhead chuckled, sneezing a little as it tickled his nose. The blonde giggled a little as Sasori's nose twitched.

"Shut up brat," he said teasingly, "Or I'll have to make you!"

The blonde giggled.

"How do you know I won't like it un?" he queried playfully. Sasori smirked and pecked him on the lips.

"Whatever brat," he smirked, "Now listen, this is important."

Deidara nodded, sitting up to face Sasori. The redhead shifted to sit up, though he was very stiff and sore.

"We have to keep this," he motioned between them, "A secret, okay?"

Deidara cocked his head, hurt reflecting in his eyes.

"Wh-why un?" he asked nervously. Sasori set his hand on the blonde's face.

"I'm a human," he said simply, "You're a Sonda. Our races are at war. Who knows what others would say or do if they found out; I don't want you to get hurt because of me."

Deidara gripped his hand, an understanding and trusting smile lighting his face.

"I don't care what they think un," he stated, "But if that's what you think is best."

Sasori smiled and hugged him tightly.

"If you need to tell someone, tell Hidan or Kisame," he said quietly, "They will keep it a secret. But please, ensure that no one else knows."

The blonde nodded, smiling at him.

"Okay Danna un."

* * *

Kisame and Itachi sat across from Pein and Konan. The four of them were pouring over all the intelligence they had managed to gather from the three hostages. They had been weak and had spilled everything, even giving them other names of corrupt officials.

"So, we still don't know who is in charge of operation B12 or what they are hoping to achieve from it," Pein stated, "We also do not know how far the corruption goes."

"We know the Vice President is involved," Kisame stated, "And we also know that the only people we can trust are ourselves."

Pein nodded in agreement.

"I think the next thing we need to do is act upon this new Intel," he said simply, "The officials that we kidnapped said that they were being paid to hide bank transactions and shipments coming into a dock on a small island in the middle of the Frace. I want to know what the cargo is."

Kisame nodded earnestly, looking over the information.

"When is the next shipment due?" he asked. Itachi spoke.

"The one I interrogated said that they received shipments every third week, every two months," he said quietly, "That means we have seven weeks now to prepare and arrive in time to find out what the cargo is and where it is headed."

Pein nodded and glanced up at Kisame.

"If Sasori is healed within six weeks, he may go," he stated, "If not, then I have a pilot who will be able to take you there. This mission should help us find out what Operation B12 is. I'm growing increasingly uneasy about it. Something that requires the slaughter of civilians could suggest something very bad."

Kisame and Itachi nodded and left to meet up with Kakuzu and Hidan.

"Do you have any idea what this 'B12' thing is?" Kisame asked casually as they walked outside. Itachi's ears flickered as he spoke.

"I'm not completely sure but like Pein said, if it requires the deaths of civilians to move forward…I would suggest an uprising," he stated. Kisame stopped.

"What like, piss of the population and have 'em blood thirsty for vengeance?" he queried. Itachi nodded.

"I don't know why, but with all that has been happening, this could only be the work of a power hungry and bloodthirsty individual or individuals," he replied, "I just hope I am wrong."

Kisame smirked.

"I thought hope was cruel and unnecessary," he said teasingly. Itachi smirked and rolled his eyes at the human.

"I never said it was unnecessary, just cruel," he replied, "And what you think can be wrong."

Kisame chortled as they walked over to Hidan and Kakuzu who were arguing about weapon efficiency.

"I'm just fucking saying, blades are better fucking weapons," Hidan snapped. Kakuzu rolled his eyes.

"Perhaps for someone like you with little to no self-preservation," he retorted, "However the nature of the mission is what makes a weapon 'better' as you say. Stealth would make blades better as they are much quieter and also require no ammo. However, for a larger number of enemies, a firearm would be better."

Hidan scowled before noticing Kisame and Itachi.

"Oi, Kisame, which weapon is better?" he demanded, "Blades or guns?"

Kisame smirked, standing opposite Hidan.

"Seduction of course," he said, laughing at Hidan's expression.

"Wha?" he demanded, "That wasn't even a fucking choice! And how the fuck would seduction work!"

Kisame chuckled.

"Ah come now, you cannot deny that beauty and charm are a person's deadliest asset," he stated, "Sure a blade or a gun can get you so far, but with seduction, you can get anyone to spill their darkest secrets."

Hidan was rendered speechless which was a rather impressive feat. Kakuzu smirked and crossed his arms.

"So what brings you here?" he asked casually, smirking at the still quiet Hidan. He would need to get tips from Kisame about that later. The blue skinned man clearly had a talent.

"Pein has a new mission for us," Itachi murmured, "It will be in seven weeks but it is very important."

Kakuzu nodded, smacking Hidan on the back of the head, to break him out of his stupor.

"What about Sasori?" he asked, "I think he will be well enough to go if he listens to the doctors. Perhaps you should refrain from telling him until it is closer to the time."

Kisame pondered this before nodding.

"I suppose that is a possibility but Sasori is sensible. He knows his limits and he knows not to push them."

"You should let him know what's ahead," Itachi stated, "He has the right to be in the know, he almost died for this information."

Kisame smiled and nodded at his partner.

"Actually, I think I'll go with Itachi on this on," he said, "I trust Sasori and like you said, he deserves updates."

Itachi flashed a small smile and rose to his feet along with his partner and they left to go and see Sasori.

"Did Itachi just…_smile_?" Hidan asked in mild shock. Kakuzu nodded smirking.

"Don't worry; even I haven't seen that before," he mused, "I suppose Kisame has just the right charisma to bring out the best in people."

Hidan shuddered.

"I would hate to see what Itachi was like when he wasn't around Kisame then," he stated. Kakuzu rolled his eyes.

"Itachi isn't that bad," he drawled, "He may not like to show his emotions but he is a loyal and strong soldier. And a good friend."

Hidan smirked, leaning back in his seat, closing his eyes.

"I guess," he mumbled, "You're all weird."

Kakuzu smirked, rolling his eyes.

"You're weirder."

* * *

Sasori looked over Deidara as he sat in the chair next to his bed. His skin was rather pale, his hair unkempt from its usual half ponytail style for relaxing. His eyes were also a little bloodshot.

"When was the last time you slept brat?" he asked. Deidara opened his mouth then shut it, trying to think of his response. With a light blush he glanced a way and back again.

"I-I've been having…nightmares," he explained, "They've been keeping me awake un."

Sasori 'ohed', shifting his position. He reached out and gently squeezed the blonde's hand.

"Wanna talk about them?" he asked quietly. Deidara quickly shook his head.

"No un," he mumbled, "They're not important."

"They clearly are if you can't sleep because of them," the pilot remarked dryly. Deidara smiled weakly.

"C-can I sleep with you un?" he asked nervously, "T-to keep them away."

Sasori smirked and patted the bed next to him.

"Sure brat, if that's what you need," he said, smirking. Deidara blushed but he looked happier as he snuggled into the redhead's side, Sasori's arm wrapped around his shoulders, gently petting his arm.

The blonde's gentle breaths and the rhythm of the heart monitor soon lulled the human into sleep.

* * *

"Sasori, good ne-," Kisame was cut off by the sight of his pilot snuggled against his blonde partner, both in a deep sleep. Itachi's eyes widened a little as he glanced from Kisame to the sleeping pair.

"Don't bother waking them." Kisame stated, "We can wait for them. They need the rest."

Itachi nodded, biting his lip a little.

"We should speak to them as soon as they wake up," he mused, "It is important that they are able to prepare for this new mission. It would aid us immensely if they were ready."

Kisame nodded and turned his back on the pair, swiftly followed by his own partner. He couldn't help but give the raven a genuine smile as they returned to the rest of the camp. Itachi returned it with his own small but just as sincere smile.

* * *

_**WOOHOO! Sixteen chapters, over 46,000 words and we FINALLY have one couple down :3 I'm glad I got that out of the way! Now all that I have to do is write in more couples and make sure we don't detour from the actual plot! :D YAY ME! lol ^^' Sorry, rambling. And since so many of you reviewed the last chapter because I said pretty please, here is my appeal for this chapter.**_

_**PRETTY PLEASE REVIEW, WITH SASODEI ON TOP? *3* I love you all! :D **_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Woohoo! I have returned to the land of the living! ^^ *dodges rotten fruit and bombs* I'm so sorry but I forgot to tell everyone that I was going on holiday for two weeks in my last update so you were all kinda left to stew...O_O But fear not! I was thinking about you and I have two new chapters for you for this story before the week is over! :D See? I'm nice! And I haven't even unpacked my suitcase!lol I have been home for a grand total of fifteen minutes and haven't even had a cup of tea yet! Yes, that is how much I love you all! I am British and am going without tea!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto but I do own a new penguin phone sock! :3  
**_

* * *

Sasori sighed with frustration as a doctor examined him. His wounds had become infected when he had been stuck in the wreckage and this was prolonging his recovery.

"Sit up please," the doctor ordered. With a little difficulty, he managed to shift up enough for the nurse to bandage his wounds again. Once the rather too friendly nurse had finished tightening the dressings, he leaned back down and sank into the pillows. The nurse checked over everything else before leaving, informing him that he had to stay in bed and rest.

"All I've been doing is resting for a whole damn week," he grunted, earning a half-hearted glare from the pale blonde nurse. The redhead shut his eyes, sighing again.

"All you seem to be able to do is fucking sigh," his team mate smirked, waltzing into the private tent. Sasori flipped him off, tugging a few of the wires in his arm as he did so.

Hidan simply sat down in the chair next to his bed, grinning like an idiot; nothing new there then.

"So what has been happening while I've been stuck here?" the pilot queried, glancing over at the Jashinist.

"Not fucking much," he replied, "Did a supply run yesterday, not a shitting enemy in sight. But we need to do another fucking one later too. And Blondie's been acting weird."

Sasori blinked.

"How so?" he asked casually. Hidan smirked.

"Oh I don't fucking know," he stated casually, "He always looks fucking spacey. I knew he was a fucking day dreamer but he's even more of a fucking space case than usual."

Sasori smirked and shrugged as best as he could.

"He is a space case isn't he?" he mused, "But he's happy enough right? At least he isn't depressed anymore."

Hidan sat up abruptly as if he had been stung by a bumblebee.

"Depressed is a fucking understatement!" he exclaimed, "The kid was bordering mental fucking breakdown. He always snuck away to fucking visit you and at night when he did manage to fall asleep, he'd start all that whimpering and chirping shit. He really fucking missed you."

Sasori's eyes widened as he listened.

"He was that bad?" he asked incrediously, "Kisame told me he was upset but never that far."

Hidan shrugged.

"I guess he didn't want to fucking upset you," he suggested, "But seriously, that kid is so fucking attached to you. You'd fucking think he was head over heels for ya."

Sasori shrugged, not bothering to answer. Hidan regarded his silent form for a few minutes before a grin broke out on his face.

"There is something going on," he smirked, "I fucking knew it!"

Sasori glanced up at him with narrowed eyes. Hidan's smirk didn't come across as threatening but he still felt hesitant.

"You must tell no one," he said sternly, "And I mean no one. Got it?"

Hidan nodded enthusiastically, leaning in closer to the bed. Sasori sat up with a little difficulty.

"We're…well…sort of together," he mumbled, "But say nothing!"

Hidan nodded, giggling like a school girl.

"Right, right, I got it, fucking scouts honour!" he joked, giving the red head a two fingered salute, "I gotta fucking go now. See ya later fire crotch!"

Sasori scowled, flopping back into his pillow. He rubbed his temples as a headache began to rear its ugly head inside of his own. Groaning a little, he reached for his glass of water.

* * *

Deidara stumbled over a tree root as he made his way back to the camp from the training ground. Straightening up, he cautiously stepped over the offending root. Glancing up, he noticed the blue hue of a Deisharsti. Slipping over to it, he hesitantly reached out to feel the soft petals. Smiling gently, he reached his fingers down the stem, the red, deadly looking thorns pricking his fingers. He reached a decent way down the stem and picked the flower, careful of the prickles.

'Danna might like this', he thought to himself as he walked back to the camp. Meandering passed crates, supply pods, tents and rebels, he found the medical tent that Sasori was resting in. A smile and a light blush crept over his face as he held the flower in one hand and used his other to pull open the flappy door of the tent.

Sasori appeared to be sleeping peacefully as he entered the tent but on further inspection, the blonde noticed his eyelids were fluttering and his eyes were darting around beneath them.

Deidara sat in the chair previously occupied by his silver haired teammate. Sasori's faced fell and he began muttering incoherent words in his sleep. The Sonda bit his lip wondering whether to wake his partner or not. Deciding it was a better idea, he gently placed his hand on Sasori's shoulder.

"Danna un," he murmured, "Wake up."

Sasori growled a little, his head turning a little to nuzzle the pillow more. Deidara smiled at how cute he was in his sleep.

"C'mon Danna, I brought a present un," he coaxed. The human's chocolate brown pools fluttered open slowly. He yawned little and glared sleepily at the culprit of waking him up. Deidara smiled a little nervously and waved.

"Morning sleepy head un," he said gently. The redhead blinked in recognition and gave him a tiny smile.

"Hey brat," he said almost cheerfully, at least by Sasori's standards, "Why did you wake me up?"

Deidara shrugged a little.

"You looked like you were having a bad dream un," he replied. Sasori shook his head.

"I don't dream brat," he stated casually, "Or maybe I don't remember them."

Deidara smiled and tapped his forehead.

"Everyone dreams Danna un," he said with a chuckle, "Even narrow-minded people like you!"

Sasori rolled his eyes and made a swipe for the blonde's head which he dodged with a giggle. Glancing down, he noticed the blue flower.

"What's that for?" he asked a little curious. Deidara grinned happily and held up his gift.

"I found one of these on my way back from the training ground un," he explained, "I thought you would like it."

He held it out and Sasori slowly took it, staying wary of the nasty looking thorns. Deidara's eyes lit up as Sasori inspected the flower with a careful eye and a soft expression.

"Do you…like it un?" he asked nervously, playing with his hair.

Sasori smiled and nodded.

"It's beautiful," he sighed, "It's a pity it won't last though."

Deidara smirked and shook his head.

"But therein lies the beauty Danna un," he replied playfully, "If it doesn't last, it makes it more precious."

Sasori shook his head, smirking at the flower as he twirled it in his hands.

"This can't be art then," he stated, "It isn't eternal."

Deidara pulled a face.

"Of course it can be un!" he insisted, "It's beautiful. And beauty is art which is also fleeting. And besides, art is always fleeting to me until you can prove it wrong un!"

Sasori chuckled and twirled the flower between his nimble fingers.

"Whatever brat, but I will prove you wrong," he said simply. He delicately set the bright blue flower on the table next to him, before turning his full attention back onto his bouncy partner, "So what brings you here?"

Deidara's ears drooped a little and he twiddled his thumbs a bit before answering.

"We're gonna do a supply run to one of the cities un," he explained, "We're getting weapons and food. I was just…you know…un."

"Scared?" Sasori guessed. The blonde nodded slowly. Smiling, the pilot shifted over and gently patted the space on the bed beside him.

"Come here brat," he said, prompting Deidara to scuttle to his side. He wrapped his arms around the small, lithe form and kissed his temple.

"You're perfectly capable out there on you own," he said matter of factly, "You'll have everyone else with you as well. And it's a simple supply run."

Deidara buried his face in his partner's neck.

"But they're not you un," he mumbled. Sasori sighed and stroked his hair soothingly, causing the blonde to emit a guttural sigh of content.

"I know, nobody is as amazing as me," Sasori joked, "But you can do this. I believe in you."

The blonde nodded quietly, ears flickering around as he contemplated things. He looked up at the human holding him and smiled nervously.

"Okay un," he said after a little hesitation, "I…I can do it I guess."

Sasori nodded and hugged him closer.

"Of course you can," he agreed, leaning in for a gentle kiss. Deidara responded enthusiastically and they deepened it, tongues caressing and dancing together, both human and Sonda sighing with pleasure.

The broke apart and lay together for a few minutes, just enjoying the other's presence, their breathing in sync and the commotion outside being blocked from their little world by the flimsy tent walls.

The peace was soon shattered by the arrival of Kisame. At the sound of his heavy footsteps, Deidara leapt from the bed and darted for the seat next to it, his ears rather flat and his expression rather irked. Sasori shot him a reassuring smile before their captain ducked into the tent, his face a little more sombre than usual.

"Ah, there you are kid," he said, grinning a little, "Thought you would be here. We have to leave in an hour. Go find Hidan and Tobi. They're coming with us."

The blonde nodded and hugged Sasori goodbye before leaving rather unhappy. Kisame watched him go before occupying the seat he left empty.

"How's the wounds healing up?" he asked the pilot. Sasori nodded slowly.

"They're okay, still rather painful but the doctor said I should be back in the field in a week and a half as long as I don't push myself," he explained, "I will be joining you on the mission."

Kisame sighed with relief.

"That's good news," he said sternly, "We want to catch this shipment and work out what the hell is going on."

Sasori nodded and smirked at the blue skinned captain.

"Don't worry, we will get to the bottom of this in no time," he said confidently, "We just need to be smart and quick. Pein hasn't led us wrong so far, so if we stick with him, we'll be home soon."

Kisame chuckled and patted the pilot's shoulder.

"If only things were that easy kid," he said with a grin that didn't completely reach his eyes, "They have been trying to end this for years now. We're only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to undercover ops trying to end things from the inside."

Sasori shrugged.

"Perhaps they were going in the wrong direction," he suggested, "From what I've seen so far, I'd say we were being misled all along by the people we were supposed to trust. However these rebels are only loyal to their home planet and their people; not their governments or economies which are what got us all into this mess in the first place. And from what Kakashi has given us, I would say we are now as much enemies of our own governments as these rebels."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend I guess," Kisame uttered, "I guess you're right. Jeez, I never took you for an optimist Akasuna!"

The redhead smirked a little.

"Well there are some things you can learn from others," he replied, "I suppose it isn't always bad to be a little more positive."

Kisame grinned and stood up from the chair.

"Keep thinking like that then!" he exclaimed, "Now, the rest of the team and I have to do another supply run so we should be back by tomorrow morning. See you then Sasori, don't go pissing anyone off, rest and listen to the doctors."

Sasori nodded and said goodbye, watching his captain leave. He hoped they were okay.

* * *

Deidara was surprised and a little unnerved by how easily he had handled the mission. It had been a simple supply run and therefore he had simply had to stand guard over the cargo with Tobi and Hidan. The worst thing he had had to do was put up with how irritating Tobi was getting as he complimented how pretty his hair was.

"Sempai, your hair is so pretty and shiny," he had squealed, "Can Tobi pet it?"

Deidara had looked to Hidan for help but the Jashinist simply doubled over with laughter so the blonde had taken matters into his own hands.

"No, you can't," he replied. His cold tone had surprised even him. Although this did little to shut the masked human up, he had at least stayed at least two feet away from Deidara at all times.

The ride home had been smooth as well, if not a bit boring. Deidara was beginning to think that maybe he was capable of doing things without Sasori.

But it didn't stop him from wanting the redhead around.

They had made it back to camp on time to everyone rushing around. Kisame looked around and turned towards him.

"Hey kid, ask someone what's going on," he said quickly. Deidara nodded and stopped a tall male Sonda.

"_Excuse me, what's going on un?" _Deidara asked curiously. The male frowned and replied with his own rather urgent sounding clicks and tones.

"_Government found our location,"_ he snapped, _"We're packing up and leaving."_

The colour drained from Deidara's face. He quickly relayed the news to Kisame and the rest of the team who began to carry the cargo to the mother ship and immediately helped pack up.

Deidara however, ran to where Sasori was supposed to be. He looked around for the tent and found it quite quickly. Darting inside, he found the place to be empty, the bed and machines gone. He clicked in frustration and hurried outside to find a doctor.

"_Where is Sasori Akasuna un?" _he demanded, ears flat and expression nervous. The nurse he had stopped took in his appearance and told him immediately where the redhead was.

"_He was moved into the ship along with the other patients the moment we discovered our location was compromised,"_ she explained, _"Everyone has to help so that we can escape as soon as possible."_

Deidara sighed with relief and thanked the female. He then hurried off to help pack up the essential supplies such as food, water and weapons.

"Hey Blondie, where the fuck did you run off to?" Hidan demanded, running over to him with Kakuzu in tow. Deidara chirped at them and dragged them onto the ship with him.

"I had to find Sasori un," he explained, "I had to make sure he didn't get left behind."

Hidan nodded in understanding and climbed up onto the ship, giving Kakuzu a hand up.

"Then let's go fucking find him," he said with a grin. The blonde smiled as well and they dodged their way through the throngs of soldiers, doctors, engineers and everyone else under the name of rebel.

* * *

Kisame and Itachi walked briskly towards Pein's office and were greeted by Konan.

"Did you get the supplies we needed?" she asked quickly. Both males nodded.

"Good," she sighed with relief, "Small mercies. Now, a runner of ours told us that a military base have managed to discover our location. I do not wish to jump to conclusions but it is possible that we have a spy in our midst."

"A spy?" Kisame queried, eyes widening a little, "Are you sure?"

Konan shook her head.

"We are not," she replied, "But you must understand that we cannot afford to take risks in our current situation. We need to be covered from all angles and we can only do so if we are prepared for every scenario possible."

Kisame nodded, still feeling slightly appalled at the idea.

"How will we know if someone is leaking information?" he asked slowly, "I wish to be responsible for my own men if that is possible. I will relay anything that may be of importance back to you and Pein."

Konan paused to think this through.

"You will have to speak with Pein but by your team, who do you mean exactly?" she asked, "Itachi and Kakuzu are our men. Although…Deidara isn't really under anyone's command."

Kisame frowned and rounded on the woman.

"Wait, you are not suggesting that the kid had something to do with this," he growled, "Deidara has shown more loyalty to my team than many before him. Don't think for a second that he is a spy!"

Konan shook her head.

"I cannot rule him out," she explained calmly, "And as of now, everyone is a suspect."

* * *

**_Ooooooh! Tension! I hope you liked this chapter and it was up to your standards cause I know you had to wait a bloody long time for it! ^^' I again sincerely apologize for the long wait, I was just a bit of a dope and forgot to say anything!lol The next chapter will be up soon as well! Pretty please review! Love you all!_**


	18. Chapter 18

_******Okay, first off! You didn't have to wait nearly as long for this chapter as the last one and second! I am only 50 minutes past the deadline of end of the week so this is okay! Please don't kill me!lol Anyway, next chapter, plot is moving on some more so happy days! I've recently become addicted to Skyrim again! I started a new game yesterday and am currently a level 10 dark elf with more enchanted weapons than I can carry! ^^' lol but anyway, on with the chapter! :D**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...  
**_

* * *

The rebel camp had been moved to the outskirts of an abandoned city. According to the team in charge of securing the camp, this place had been condemned towards the beginning of the war and had been rotting ever since. Now the mother ship was touched down on the southern side and small outpost buildings were being used as storage for food and medical supplies as well as century posts.

Three weeks remained until the mission to the Frace and Sasori had been released from the mercy of the doctors and was given permission to commence with light training.

"Sasori, we need to talk," Kisame said monotonously, after a training session. The pilot nodded and followed his captain towards his sleeping quarters. They stepped inside and Kisame sat down on his bed. Sasori seated himself on the bed opposite and waited for Kisame to talk.

"We have a problem regarding Deidara," he stated, "Pein and Konan suspect that they have a spy in the camp."

Sasori's usually warm chocolate coloured eyes narrowed to cold slits at Kisame's words.

"What are you saying Captain Hoshigaki?" he asked, tone low and dangerous. Kisame shrugged.

"Pein needs to make sure his rebels are secure," he explained, "Being a leader like him, means everyone here relies on him to keep them as safe as he can. He can't afford to take risks and everyone is getting checked and investigated."

Sasori's mouth remained in a hard line as he took in the information.

"So you want to interrogate the kid is that right?" he grunted. Kisame shook his head.

"I just need a background check on him," he said cautiously, "I am in charge of you lot, as my team so I am taking responsibility for Deidara as well. I don't believe that he is dangerous or against us but we need to be absolutely certain that there is not a rat in this organisation."

Sasori sighed but nodded slowly, not looking at the blue skinned soldier. Kisame smirked a little.

"Hey don't be so worried!" he exclaimed cheerfully, "I just needed to clear it with you before I questioned him is all."

Sasori's gaze darted up to meet Kisame's.

"Why me?" he demanded. Kisame chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," he assured the redhead, "But be very, very careful. That's all I have to say about it."

Sasori smirked and nodded curtly, following him out of his room and into the corridor. He slipped into his shared room and shrugged off his gear, hissing a little when a dull throb came to life in his side where his injuries were.

"Hey there un," came a chipper voice, as arms snaked around his waist. Sasori smirked and dropped his stuff on the little floor space they had before twisting around to plant a heated kiss on the blonde Sonda's lips. Deidara let out a guttural sigh and his ears twitched as he responded enthusiastically.

"You know," Sasori began, "Hidan won't be back for a while. We could…indulge in the privacy."

Deidara blinked in confusion, seeing the smirk crossing the redhead's face. His face suddenly darkened to a deep red once he realised what he meant.

"Umm…I-I un," he mumbled, chirping in alarm when Sasori pulled him close and kissed him heatedly.

"D-Danna, please…stop un," he whimpered, pulling away, shivering a little. Sasori frowned and slowly moved closer, concern welling in his eyes.

"Deidara…are you alright?" he asked, sitting the blonde down on the bed. Deidara shook his head and drew a shaky breath.

"I-I'm just…scared un," he mumbled, "I'm not ready for anything like that."

Sasori nodded, sighing a little as he pulled the blonde in for a hug. He wrapped his arms around the slim form and felt relief when the blonde hugged back.

"Sorry brat, I shouldn't have rushed you like that," he murmured, tickling the blonde's ear. Deidara stifled a giggle and shook his head.

"It's okay Danna un," he replied, "Just…give me some time."

Sasori nodded and kissed him chastely on the lips.

"You know, we don't have to go that far," he murmured, mischievously, "But we can still…have some fun."

Deidara shivered a little at the smooth delicate tone the redhead used. Sasori slipped round the back of the Sonda and gently swept his hair over his shoulder, sucking and nibbling on his neck. Deidara moaned softly, ears swishing around, eyes shut tight as he savoured the touches.

Sasori began to massage his shoulders, gently working the shirt off the blonde's lithe upper body, kissing, licking and biting at his neck as he tugged the material away. Stepping away to pull of the shirt, he noticed a white line about an inch in length on the back of Deidara's neck.

He looked down the male's back and saw five similar length lines moving down his spine. Sasori ran his finger over the one on his neck.

"Brat…what are these?" he asked slowly, "They look like scars."

Deidara shrugged and moved his hand to where Sasori's had been and traced his fingers over the horizontal line. His mouth set in a small confused frown.

"I didn't even know I had them un," he murmured, "Are they bad?"

Sasori ran his hand down the blonde's spine, pressing a little on the scars. Deidara hissed and whimpered a little, retracting from Sasori's fingers.

"That's strange," the pilot mused, "They hurt don't they? How exactly do they?"

"I-it's like a…jolt, a sharp pain un," Deidara said shakily, "It really hurts!"

Sasori nodded and made the teen lie down on the bed. He lay on his stomach to give the human full access. Running his fingers up and down his spine, he felt slight bumps under the scars. When he pressed down on them, Deidara gritted his teeth or bit his arm until it bled.

"This may need to be checked out," the redhead stated, "I don't know what it is but it's on your spine. If it's left, you could be badly injured, even paralysed."

Deidara nodded, trying not to move until the pain had subsided. Sasori chewed his lip, concern flooding his eyes and mind. The blonde smiled up at him and stood up.

"Wh-when should we go un?" he asked nervously, grabbing his shirt. Sasori shrugged.

"No time like the present," he stated, taking his partner's hand gently. Deidara nodded, his hand tightening around Sasori's as they left the room.

Walking down the corridor of the ship, they made small talk, Deidara showing slight discomfort which he had only used to feel when there was a lot of pressure on his spine. Now it was shooting up and into his head, causing a migraine.

"Here we are," Sasori announced, pulling the blonde inside. The familiar smells of morphine and sterilized air greeted the both of them, burning their nostrils. One of the doctors recognised Sasori and walked over to the pair.

"Ah Mr Akasuna," he called, "Are you having problems with your injuries?"

The pilot shook his head politely and explained the situation with his partner. The doctor kept a professional demeanour as he listened to the redhead.

"I will need to examine this first hand before I conclude anything," he said, motioning them into a more private room and calling in a nurse. Sasori went in and helped the blonde take his shirt off and lie down again.

"Right, what do we have here?" the doctor queried, looking at Deidara's back, running his fingers gently over his spine. He pressed down on the white lines, causing the blonde to hiss.

"Alright, how long have you had this?" the doctor asked. Deidara shook his head.

"Sometimes when something was pressing on my back a certain way there would be pain un," he said slowly, "But I could work around that. I didn't even notice the scars un."

The doctor nodded and told the nurse to take notes. Sighing a little, he backed away from the teen.

"This isn't something I've ever seen before," he stated, "we may need to take a closer look. Take a few x-rays and such. However, you must not do anything strenuous. I am pulling you out of all future missions and training regimes."

Deidara glanced nervously at Sasori who smiled a little and grasped his shoulder.

"Don't worry, I'll talk to Kisame," he murmured. Deidara nodded grudgingly.

The doctor dismissed them both and they left for their quarters again. Deidara lay down on his bad, wondering where the scars had come from. His head throbbed again and he winced, shutting his eyes tight and willing himself to sleep.

* * *

Sasori grimly watched the blonde wince in his sleep, contemplating what to tell Kisame. Would it make his captain suspect Deidara more if he was told the blonde was unfit to be interrogated? Shaking his head of uncertainty, he left the room and quietly closed the door, heading off in search of the blue skinned human.

* * *

Pein sighed heavily as he listened to the words his top doctor spoke to him in their native tongue.

"_We will need to perform some tests but I think you know what this means,"_ the doctor said, trying to be cautious of his words. Pein nodded and looked to Konan who was chewing her lip, her brow creased and her eyes shining with concern.

"_Very well,"_ Pein stated,_ "I suggest once the x-rays and such have been taken, to put him in isolation. Just as a precaution of course, if he thinks we are onto him, he may try to run."_

"_But sure, there could be a problem with that,"_ the doctor countered, _"The human, Sasori Akasuna, is very protective of him and may cause problems if he feels we are a threat to the boy."_

Pein sighed, closing his ringed eyes, his ears twitching in annoyance.

"_They have a mission in three weeks,"_ he stated, _"Save any moves until they leave. You are pulling him from the mission are you not?"_

The doctor nodded and left the room. Pein leaned back in his chair and glanced over at Konan.

"_I know you grow attached to people, especially vulnerable ones, but I need your professional opinion Konan,"_ Pein murmured. Konan's ears twitched at being addressed but she answered in rather monotonous clicks and chirps.

"_It could be anything, but I agree with your motives,"_ she replied, _"Just don't be harsh on him until you have complete proof that it is him."_

Pein nodded, promising his companion that Deidara would receive fair treatment.

* * *

Outside the door, a slender figure hissed a little, ears flickering in frustration. He slipped away into shadows, contemplating how to move around this setback. He would have to be smart if he wanted to succeed in his mission without getting caught.

* * *

_The blonde five year old ran faster than he had ever run in his life. Images of his sister, lying dead in a pool of her own blood kept repeating in his mind. Wiping away fresh tears that welled in his blue orbs, he scooted down a side alley in the direction of his home on the outskirts of the town._

"_Oi, look what I found!" one of the soldiers hissed maliciously. His eyes widened, thinking he had been caught. His fears were proven wrong when the Sonda turned in the opposite direction to him in a small square, which used to be filled with merchants selling fruit and vegetables. Now the stalls were smashed to pieces and bodies were strewn among splintered wood and destroyed fruit._

"_She's a fine bitch," a burly looking male sneered, as he leaned over a cowering figure. He found a hiding spot in one of the almost intact stalls. He had a good view of the soldiers' movements and also of their victim._

"_She is," another smirked, "You think the boss will care if we…ya know."_

"_Ha, like he's gonna know after we burn this place to the ground," someone laughed, kicking the figure on the ground. She grunted in pain and lifted her head to glare up at them._

"_Fuck you yeah!" she screamed._

_He froze, his eyes widening._

_That was his mother…those men were hurting her. Her always soft and gentle voice was raised to a high pitched scream and foul words fell from her mouth, the mouth that would sing the lullabies that sent him to sleep every night._

_Now that perfect woman, his protector and most cherished person was being savagely beaten and laughed at and humiliated right before his eyes._

"_Now for the fun part," smirked the first male. The blonde felt fresh tears fall from his eyes as he heard his mother scream in pain as one of the men seemed to be moaning as he writhed on top of her. The blonde didn't know what they were doing, but he knew that it was wrong, very wrong. He shut his eyes tight and covered his ears with his small hands but he couldn't completely block out the screams of pain._

_He cried silently as the soldiers stopped and the screaming stopped, nothing but the crackling of flames filling the air along with the smoke and dust._

"_Damn bitch, pretty good fuck if you ask me!" one of them exclaimed, laughing with the others as they walked away._

_He didn't dare leave his hiding place until he was certain they were gone. Once he was sure, he scrambled out and ran towards the motionless form of his mother._

"_K-Kaa-san un," he croaked. His mother cracked her swollen eyes open very slightly and attempted to smile at him, although her battered and bruised face was too painful._

"_D-Dei-Chan…yeah," she murmured, attempting to pull her dress down to cover herself and try to preserve her child's innocence, "Y-y-you ne-ed…to get…away."_

_The small child fell to his knees beside her and cried into her bloody and soiled hair. She slowly lifted and arm up and wrapped it around him, shushing him gently._

"_Hush…my petal yeah," she mumbled, "Y-you need…to go. I…l-love you…so mu-much."_

_He lifted his head and looked at her bloody face._

"_But…K-K-K-K-Kaa-san," he cried, tears falling onto her face, mixing with her blood, "C-come with m-m-me un."_

_She shook her head a little and petted his hair with difficulty._

"_Dei-Chan…I…ne-ed you to…be a man now yeah," she murmured, "L-live…and now…I w-will always…watch over you."_

_He sniffled and wiped his tears away, nodding a little, making his mother smile as much as she could._

"_G-good luck…Dei-Chan yeah," she clicked and whistled, ears drooping back and her eyes slipping shut. Her already slow and ragged breaths were slowing even more and her hand on his head was slipping._

"_K-Kaa-san un," he whimpered, grabbing at her hand. His eyes widened in realisation and his lips quivered, "No…no…no, no, no, no, no, NO!"_

_He screamed, the word over and over again, crying as his heart tore into pieces. Shouts and the thundering of boots snapped him from his grief and he shot to his feet, racing down a deserted street and back towards his home. His vision was blurred with tears and his throat was sore from screaming and the smoke from the burning houses but he pressed on._

_He made it to his house and banged on the door, falling against it, hoping against hope that his father wouldn't turn him away now that his mother was no longer there to protect him._

_He fell to his hands and knees and vomited, the door opening before him. As he passed out, he felt strong arms lift him up and carry him inside as he slipped from unconsciousness._

* * *

Deidara jolted awake from his nightmare of a memory with a pained cry. He was sweating and shaking as he surveyed the room which was empty, meaning Hidan was still out training and Sasori had left him to rest. He curled into a ball and whimpered, wishing that the redhead was still there with him. Shutting his eyes, he tried to calm himself down and catch his breath.

"Ah Sempai is here! Tobi was looking for his Senpai!" came a shrill exclamation from the doorway. The blonde winced at the loud tones as he glanced up and came face to face with the orange masked human, Tobi.

"What is 'Senpai' un?" he asked nervously, shifting away from the human as he came up right in front of the blonde.

"It is Japanese for 'senior' as a general translation Senpai!" Tobi said excitedly, "Tobi was told to go and fetch Deidara Senpai so that is what Tobi is doing! Well Senpai come with Tobi?"

Deidara wondered if this mad man was trying to see how many times he could fit 'Senpai' and 'Tobi' into one sentence. Shrugging, he stood up and told Tobi to lead the way. As they walked through the halls and Tobi babbled about nonsense, Deidara could feel a menacing aura surround him. Shuddering, he glanced around, his eyes landing on a certain raven, who was glaring at him with cold red eyes. The blonde cast his eyes to the floor and hurried after Tobi, who was also staring at Itachi, although, it was harder to tell if he was with his mask on.

"Come on Senpai, let's go find the others for lunch!" he said cheerfully. Deidara nodded slowly, his ears flattened a little as he wondered what Itachi had been doing there, close to Pein's office, as usual.

* * *

**_The plot thickens! XD lol Anyway, I got my exam results back for my GCSEs and I passed everything! XD I got an A in art and english, a B in technology, maths, RE and English Literature and C in Science, German and Geography! I am so freaking happy, I'm not gonna get killed and I'm going back to do A levels with my best friends! :3 So I'm gonna do History, Art, English Lit and Drama for A level! *does happy dance* _**

**_Anyway, the story plot is progressing very well in my opinion, this story should last well into the thirty/forty chapter zone...which is a lot...hopefully you will all bare with me! So review my lovelies, pretty, pretty please! _**


	19. Chapter 19

_**Oh. My. God. This chapter took forever for the pure and simple fact that I have lost all will to live -_- School has been unbelievably busy and I have been bordering depression for the past month...but I'm better now! :) I went and got my bellybutton pierced today as well bumping me up to a total of eight piercings! ^^  
**_

_**Enjoy the chapter!**_

_**Disclaimer: I own fuck all! :D  
**_

* * *

Sasori couldn't get rid of the unnerving feeling that was hanging over him the day before their vital mission. Since Deidara wasn't going, Tobi had been assigned as his partner for the mission. This in itself was bad enough without the constant feeling that he was missing something important.

"Sasori, stop looking so glum, you're beginning to kill my mood," Kisame grumbled, "We'll only be gone for a few days."

Sasori scowled and glanced around the table. He was seated with his captain, Hidan and Kakuzu. Sighing heavily, he ran a hand through his unruly red locks and began to speak.

"Don't any of you feel it?" he asked, "Like something bad is going to happen, like we're missing something big?"

The other three shook their heads, glancing sceptically between each other and the pilot. Sasori groaned and dropped his head in his hand.

"Something is amiss I'm telling you," he muttered, glaring at the table's shiny metal surface, which blurred his features to a reddish blob. Kisame shrugged a little.

"Look, if it was something major then we would have realised by now," he assured his skittish soldier, "Once we find out what this cargo is then we'll be able to move forward from there."

"Fine," the redhead muttered, feeling agitated. He knew he was right and being ignored didn't sit well with him. Deciding to spend time with the blonde before he left, he stood from the table and muttered a farewell to his comrades.

Kisame, Hidan and Kakuzu watched him leave before returning to their conversation.

"Do you think he's right?" Kakuzu murmured, glancing at the two humans. Hidan shrugged.

"He's probably just pissed he's stuck with that crazy bastard Tobi," he smirked, "I mean, he's a fucking good soldier and shit but he does get very annoying after a while."

Kisame chuckled a little.

"Maybe," he smirked, "But I think I know what it is."

"Well then fucking what?" Hidan demanded; examining his captain's smirking face, he caught on, "Oh right, Blondie."

Kisame nodded, chuckling a little. Kakuzu rolled his eyes, catching on as well.

"He will get over it eventually," he stated boredly, "We shall be back in a few days."

The two humans nodded in agreement.

Sasori wandered through the corridors of the ship towards the medical wing, where the blonde was to stay until he had been x-rayed and seen to. He had been given a private room, under Pein's orders; Sasori found this odd, since the rebel leader surely had more important things to oversee than the health of one soldier. Regardless, the redhead was also grateful for the privacy it gave him and Deidara during their more intimate moments.

Nodding in greeting at the head nurse, he made his way towards the small room towards the back of the medical wing. Reaching the door to the blonde's private room, he raised a fist to knock. An angry growl from within, made him freeze.

Putting his ear to the door, he heard hisses, growls, chirps and clicks emitting. He could tell there were two voices, one of them being Deidara. The redhead was now quite accomplished at distinguishing the blonde's voice from others. The second voice was a mystery. The conversation sounded heated, but the only words Sasori actually knew were the occasional 'yes', 'no', 'please' and his own name. Deidara had decided, out of sheer boredom, to teach Sasori some of his mother tongue. The redhead of course was useless at make the sounds but he was learning.

Admitting defeat, he knocked on the door, the argument immediately subsiding. The door opened and the pilot blinked in surprise. Standing in the doorway was Itachi.

"Sasori," he murmured in greeting, dipping his head. Sasori nodded curtly in greeting, critically aware of the calculating stare he was under. Once the raven left, he rushed into the room to see a rather upset and angry blonde sitting elegantly cross-legged on the bed.

"Why was Itachi here brat?" he asked casually, sitting in the armchair in the room. Deidara shook his head, rubbing his eyes.

"Just wanted to know some stuff un," he replied, unconvincingly. Sasori rolled his eyes and moved over to sit on the bed.

"Now Deidara," he murmured in the blonde's ear, hands resting on the blonde's shoulders, "I can tell when you're lying."

Deidara shivered as he felt his Danna's warm breath on his neck. He bit his lip when plump lips ghosted over his neck, almost drawing a small moan of wanting. He twisted a little to get more attention from his lover but the human pulled back from him almost instantly.

"Ah ah, not until you answer my question," Sasori smirked, holding back from his own desires in order to get what he wanted. The blonde Sonda pouted cutely, his ears flickering as he took a deep breath.

"I-Itachi just wanted to know why I was not going on the mission un," he mumbled, "He thought…I was being a coward. But…I'm not…right un?"

Sasori sighed, pulling the younger male into his arms, mashing their lips together. Deidara responded enthusiastically, cuddling closer to the human, wrapping his arms around the elder's neck.

"Was all I wanted to know," Sasori mumbled, moving down to attack his neck with kisses and love bites. Deidara let out a guttural sigh of pleasure as they cuddled and kissed. He loved the attention and pure affection that Sasori gave him.

But like all good things, this had to come to an end when shuffling outside the room sounded. Sasori regretfully pulled away from the blonde and sat down in the armchair. Deidara sat opposite him, cheeks slightly flushed, attempting to hide the hickeys on his neck with his hair.

"We'll be back in a few days," Sasori stated, "You'll be alright until then?"

Deidara nodded slowly.

"I'll be here un," he mumbled, "I'm sorry I can't go with you. Come back alive, please."

Sasori smirked and ruffled the blonde's hair as he stood up.

"Of course I will," he chuckled, "In the meantime, you look after yourself and stay out of trouble."

Deidara smirked and swiped at the hand on his head.

"I will Danna un," he chirped, grabbing the hand, pulling the redhead down, "Love you un."

"You too brat," Sasori murmured back, pecking him on the lips. He straightened up and left the Sonda, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Since the last ship had been destroyed, Kisame and his team had been given a new combat craft. It was similar to the old one but slightly larger in the body. However, Sasori had been trained to fly anything that could take to the skies; the bulkier ship was no problem for him.

"Kisame, where am I going to land so that we aren't detected?" he queried to his captain. Kisame moved up to the cockpit, glancing out of the front of the ship with Sasori. Extending an arm, he motioned towards a small natural cove on the opposite side of the island.

"We need to stay out of sight if we're gonna get anywhere near those shipping containers, we can't be detected," Kisame stated. The redhead nodded curtly, steering the ship down. He landed perfectly, powering down the engines and collecting his weapons along with the other five soldiers. Kisame glanced them all over before they moved out.

"Okay, we're currently deep in enemy territory," he said sternly, "You follow my orders down to the last detail. If you hesitate or question me, I'll kick your ass. Are we clear?"

"Clear!" they chorused.

Nodding with approval, Kisame gestured for them to follow him outside.

Hopping out of the ship, Sasori took a look around the terrain, much like his first time on Sondarsta soil.

The island was of average size, outlined by cold, lifeless, rocky crags and cliff faces, deflecting the restless oceans; the drab rocks were darkened to a charcoal black from the water spray. The rest of the island was coated in a dense, green rainforest, the trees of which towered above the soldiers, blocking out the sun, bathing everything in a dim, green hue.

Sasori instinctively, moved closer to the group, readying his weapon at the slightest disturbance of the undergrowth.

"Sasori sempai, there is no need to be so nervous!" Tobi giggled, "While you are Tobi's partner, he will protect you with his life or Deidara Sempai would be mad at Tobi!"

The redhead rolled his eyes and brushed the masked man off by slipping up to walk next to Kisame.

"How far are we from the dock?" he murmured, eyes scanning the area ahead. Itachi's ears flickered as he answered equally as quietly.

"We'll be on the other side of the island within an hour if we keep to this pace," he uttered, "However, we shall devise a strategy before we move onto the main objective."

Kisame hummed in agreement as he glanced back at his team, then forward, into the thick copse of greenery. His eyes narrowed a little when he saw movement.

"Itachi, what do you see ahead?" he muttered, relying on the Sonda's superior eyesight. The raven narrowed his own feline orbs, growling in the back of his throat.

"Three enemies, probably a scout," he whispered, "Everyone needs to get down and move slowly and quietly!"

Kisame ordered the others to find cover before darting behind a thick trunk, crouching down and dragging Sasori and Itachi with him. Kakuzu and Hidan dropped and crawled below a thicket and Tobi simply disappeared, the second the command had left Kisame's lips.

Every heart beat thundered in their chests, like a stampede of wild horses, as the three enemy Sonda walked past them. They were dressed in urban camouflage gear and each was armed to the teeth, carrying grenadiers and as many hand guns and knives as they could carry without being weighed down. They also wore headsets, giving them permanent contact with the rest of their division.

Catching eye contact with Hidan, who pointed to his weapon suggestively, Kisame gave a curt nod. In response, the silver haired male nudged his partner and together, they crawled out quietly. Sneaking up behind the three scouts, they both drew knives, Hidan with one in each hand and Kakuzu with a blade almost the length of Hidan's forearm.

Noiselessly, the pair stalked their prey, literally breathing down their necks before striking.

Kakuzu clamped a hand over his target's mouth and slit his throat before he could blink. Hidan, with the deadly precision of a snake, stabbed both of his adversaries in the back of their necks, almost severing their heads in one fatal move. Both dropped to the ground with gargling groans as Hidan pulled his knives out of their flesh and wiped the crimson off on their clothes, sheathing them.

"Right, Itachi, take one of those and listen in on their movements," Kisame ordered, grabbing a headset from one of the dead bodies and throwing it at his partner, who caught it effortlessly.

"Right let's go, the port should be up ahead," the captain announced, the team following his orders and fell into a 'diamond' formation; Kisame taking point, Itachi and Sasori covering his right and left flank, Kakuzu and Hidan covering theirs' and Tobi bringing up the rear.

* * *

Deidara swallowed a little as he was told to lie down on the small bed to get his x-rays. He had been forced to wear a stupid white cloth robe over a pair of white shorts and a white t-shirt, which had very little warmth to offer him. As the machine was started up with a series of noisy whirs, clicks and groaning sounds, the blonde shut his eyes tightly and flattened his ears against his skull.

"_Alright Deidara, you're almost finished,"_ the doctor called, apprehension in his voice as he spoke to the young Sonda in a series of guttural calls and whistles. The blonde nodded, a feeling of unease bubbling up inside of him, fearing something was badly wrong with him.

"_Is everything alright un?" _he asked nervously, fiddling with the hem of the robe. The doctors exchanged glances before looking back at him.

"_There appears to be something foreign running along your spine," _the head doctor explained, _"We wish to perform surgery to get a closer look at it, if you wouldn't mind."_

Deidara almost started at the word surgery, his head swimming a little at the thought. He swayed a little, turning paler. The doctors grabbed him, helping him take a seat on a chair in the room.

"_Is there something you need to tell us Deidara?"_ asked the second doctor, his eyes narrowing slightly, _"You can tell us now or not, but either way, we must remove whatever it is that is attached to your spine. It could cause severe issues in the future."_

Deidara shook his head, recovering from his near panic attack.

"_I-I'm sorry, I just don't like the thought of surgery un," _he mumbled, _"But if it is necessary, you can do it. I don't think I have anything to hide un."_

The doctors nodded and ordered him to go back to his room. The blonde stood up, swaying slightly before making his way slowly out of the room.

The head doctor turned to his assistant and raised one of the images for his inspection.

"_These things could kill him,"_ he grunted, grim faced, _"The sooner we pull them out, the better."_

The younger assistant nodded, his mouth set in a hard line.

"_Shall I notify Pein-sama?" _he asked, nervously. A nod from his elder prompted him to scamper off through the ship in order to find the orange haired Sonda.

* * *

Deidara sighed with relief once he had snuggled down into his bed, feeling some warmth steal into his body. The night was extremely cold on the outskirts, since there was nothing out here but desert and ruin. Thinking over how unnerving the doctors were acting, he bit his lip in apprehension, fear gnawing on his insides. Burying his face into the pillows, he hoped, prayed and wished that Sasori and the others would hurry back safely. He needed the redhead, now more than ever.

* * *

**_Phew! You probably all know what will happen but it's my story, I am shite at plot twists and I like where my plot is going, it all ties in. :P  
One of the piercing shops had a deal on today, all body piercings for £10 which is really good! So I went down with about eight of my friends and I got my belly button done, Jessica got her tragus pierced and Stuart got his lip pierced! :D It was really fun getting them together! :3 School is getting difficult as well... Drama is hard since we have to analyse plays while we watch them and write notes on them while we're at it too! And art is a bit rubbish at the minute since we have to do abstract paintings! Bloody abstract! :/ Apparently you have to structure it and still think about what you're doing but that's difficult...and I hate abstract...It's gonna be weeks before I'm allowed to use clay again :( But I have picked my theme so all is well! :D_**

**_Anyway, please review! Love you all! :)_**


	20. Chapter 20

_******Hi again everyone :) The weather is getting sooooo cold over here! *burrr* I know weather is usually shite here in Northern Ireland but here's the thing! Now instead of warm weather with rain, it's freezing cold weather with rain! Such variety! \^-^/ Seriously but there's a phrase here 'So local, she thinks a tan comes from a bottle' which is true! Bring on the fake bake (fake tan)! But I am babbling now, so on with the chapter, where more plot arrives (at a snail pace ^^')**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the arms manufacturer :D I've always wanted to own a business!)  
**_

* * *

Sasori scanned the dock carefully, searching for any signs of life. The place was almost empty, except for a few guards patrolling the area. Tobi fidgeted next to him, hoping from one foot to the other, pissing off his teammates.

"Tobi, is there a problem?" Kisame ground out, after ten full minutes. Tobi giggled nervously.

"Well, Tobi noticed, some guards are leaving that building unguarded!" he exclaimed, "Tobi wonders if we could get in through there!"

Every set of eyes, both human and Sonda, scanned the building, which the masked man was pointing to. After simultaneously sweat dropping, Kisame devised a plan to get inside.

"Right," he muttered, "That building will serve us well for cover. Now, from what we can see, there are a total of seventeen guards, patrolling this entire dock. There may be more inside the buildings, so we're going to sweep and clear this area, cleaning out the buildings as we move. We'll work from the left and work our way across."

Everyone nodded in understanding, as the captain continued.

"Now, we'll work in two groups of three," he stated, "Sasori, Itachi and I will sweep the buildings, while Hidan, Kakuzu and Tobi will sweep outside. Kakuzu, you call the shots outside."

The five nodded, splitting into their trios as they moved quietly, emerging from the copse of trees, the scenery instantly changing from dense, rich jungle terrain, to one of drab, square buildings and shipping containers. The only colours added to the area, were reds, blues, browns and greys, most of which was worn from harsh weather and the relentless decay of time.

"Okay, guys, let's go," Kisame murmured, nodding in the direction of the first building. Kakuzu had positioned his team outside separate entrances to the first building. As they proceeded into the warehouse, Kisame, Sasori and Itachi spread out to take down the guards outside.

Sasori ducked behind a shipping container, slipping a knife out of a sheath on his calf and awaited for the arrival of his target.

The guard yawned widely, ears flickering under his helmet as he walked past the small redhead. The human slipped out and aimed for the back of his throat. With expert handling, he plunged the blade straight through the Sonda's throat, muffling his screams with a hand over his mouth. Once he stopped struggling, Sasori dragged him behind the container, he had previously hidden behind. It was a little difficult, since the corpse was huge, dwarfing Sasori.

Continuing through the dock, everyone killed the guards in similar fashion, stealthily and quickly.

"_Kisame, you needa see this,"_ Hidan called over their comms. The blue human ordered Sasori and Itachi to regroup on him, before answering to the Jashinist.

"What's wrong Hidan?" he murmured, "Itachi, make sure we're still safe."

The raven nodded, and listened in to the guards' activity on his stolen headset, while Kisame spoke with Hidan.

"_We've found some pretty nasty shit in here. There's like nearly a hundred fucking crates of weapons, guns, bombs, anything you could fucking want and a bunch of space crafts."_

"That's not unordinary Hidan, we are in the middle of a war," Kisame deadpanned with a frown. His teammate cursed on the other end.

"_I fucking know that! But this place is fucking dead, seriously, and Kakuzu found some other shit; documents and files. It's looking bad man!"_

"Right Hidan, we'll be right over," he replied, "Which building are you in?"

"_Warehouse, B12," _he replied, _"See a fucking connection?"_

Kisame smirked and motioned for the redhead and raven to follow him as he hurried over to the building. It was a rather lonely looking building, directly facing the see front. A convenient location, if someone wanted to use the warehouse for easy access.

The two humans and Sonda reached the door, where Hidan greeted them with a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Yo, fuckers, upstairs, Kakuzu found some shit!" he called in a low, excited voice. Kisame flashed a sharp toothed grin and proceeded past his subordinate. Sasori nodded to his comrade as he fell in behind Kisame, weapon ready.

True to Hidan's word, the majority of the building was for storage, holding rows stacked upon rows of crates, all labelled with their contents. There were guns, grenades, bombs, missiles, every kind of weapon, imaginable. Sasori walked over and examined a few containers. He felt an immediate unease about them, but was unable to comprehend why. Shaking his head, he followed the rest of the team up towards the offices on the second floor.

Entering the office, papers were strewn across every flat surface; the floor, the desks, the shelves, even a microwave had been buried under a mountain of folders.

"Kisame," Kakuzu called over, "These files I need you to look at. Here are the documents, identical to the ones Sasori found at the military base. And these are shipment orders for the past year."

The human examined each one carefully, frown firmly in place and eyes narrowed dangerously. Sasori glanced over his arm at the documents, scrutinising the text. Brushing his hair from his eyes, they widened upon seeing one particular section.

"Kisame," he exclaimed, "All those weapons down there. What do you notice?"

He practically bolted to the window, which looked out over the very weapons he was speaking of. Everyone exchanged glances, wondering if the pilot had lost it.

"Um, Sasori, are you alright?" Kisame queried, walking over. Sasori shook his head and pointed.

"Look, those weapons," he said sternly, "They're human weapons. Be stored in a Sonda warehouse!"

Everyone looked closer and sure enough, the weaponry was standard of planet earth. Itachi narrowed his onyx eyes and started to tear through documents, as if he knew what he was looking for. He did so for a good ten minutes before chirping, drawing everyone's attention.

"Sasori is right," he snarled, "Every shipment has been from the same company and overseen by the same man."

"Who?" Kisame demanded, rushing to his Sonda partner's side. Itachi held up the manifest, for the captain's inspection.

"We all know this company," he growled, "They're the ones who supply the military with all the standard weapons we carry; Serpanstela Industries."

Sasori growled upon hearing the name of the company. He quickly regained his composure as soon as he had lost it, hoping no one had heard him. He wasn't so lucky.

As everyone absorbed what had just been told to them, Itachi noticed sudden activity on the stolen headset. Focusing closer on the frantic chirps, clicks and whistles, he gave a curt growl.

They had been discovered.

"Kisame, the guards have found the corpses," he stated, "We need to collect all the documents and escape while there is still a window."

The captain nodded curtly and began to shove the documents of the orders, the company and the weapons into his bag.

"Sasori, photograph the weaponry, then set this place on fire," he ordered, "I won't have our weapons used for this shit."

The redhead nodded and grabbed the small digital camera that Kisame had thrown to him. He and Tobi hurried down the metal stairs and began to snap pictures of the weapons and the warehouse.

"Tobi, find something flammable," he urged. The masked man nodded and began scouting around the place. He had a light bulb moment upon seeing a crate of neatly packed grenades.

"Sasori-san! Tobi found something!" he called merrily. The redhead nodded and climbed up. Peeking inside the crate, he smirked and nodded, pulling out a small bundle of C4.

"We don't want to be near when this blows," he mused, setting the charges and hopping down from the boxes. Tobi followed suit and together, they joined the team and hurried out the door.

"Kisame, they're beginning to search the warehouses," Itachi murmured, "We have three minutes to make it out of the docks before they catch us."

Kisame nodded.

"Alright everyone, double time it," he hissed, speeding up. The others followed, slipping from the cover of one building to another. Once they got to the edge, they slowed down slightly to catch their breath. Itachi listened in once again.

"They've reach warehouse B12," he stated. Sasori smirked and held up the small detonator. Kisame nodded.

"Do it."

Sasori pressed his thumb down on the small red button. An explosion sounded and the blast wiped out the building completely. Due to the extra firepower from the other explosives, the whole team felt the force of it as well, though were thankfully protected a little bit by the trees.

"Whoa! That's a fucking firework display!" Hidan cheered. Everyone else smirked as Itachi threw the headset to the ground.

"We won't need to worry about them anymore," he mused, "We should go now though."

Kisame nodded and ordered everyone back to the ship. The eagerness to return was felt and shared by everyone. They all had the same questions running through their heads; why were the Sonda using human weapons, what was Serpanstela Industries doing and in Kisame's case, why had Sasori looked positively murderous at the sound of the company?

"The ship's just up ahead," Sasori stated, trudging through the mud. Emerging from the trees, the sky was a deep grey, almost angry purple shade. The clouds were swirling frantically and the wind speed was picking up. The redhead cursed, kicking the side of the ship.

"Kisame, I don't think we can take off in this," he grunted, "I'm not confident about these weather conditions."

"We'll just have to wait it out then," Kisame replied, attempting to calm the rather pissed off male. Sasori scowled as darkly as the sky as he led the way onto the small ship, closing the door once everyone was inside.

"I hate waiting!"

* * *

"_Scalpel,"_ ordered the head surgeon with a sharp click. His assistant, rather skittishly handed over the shiny silver blade. With expert precision, the surgeon carved through the blonde's skin, following the dotted lines that were drawn onto his tanned flesh.

Deidara had been put under heavy anaesthetic for the operation to remove the foreign object. Even the smallest movement could be highly dangerous while the team of surgeons were working on him.

"_Right, I have made the incision," _the Sonda stated, _"Now we need to hold this open."_

It was a delicate task of peeling back the skin and holding it open, giving them a clear view of Deidara's spine and the black, mechanical objects. They were clamped onto his spine, wires connecting each one. The surgeons exchanged looks with each other, before glancing up at the viewing room, where Pein stood, watching. His eyes were even colder than usual, his poise tense.

"_Okay, we need to remove these," _the head surgeon murmured, _"Start with the lowest one."_

They began the task of removing one. Gently feeling around the object, the male Sonda came across the small screws on either side. Undoing them, he easily slid it away from the blonde's bones.

"_One down,"_ he uttered with relief. The others came off just as easily, and they were placed in a sealable, clear plastic bag. Finally, they simply had to sew up the blonde and then put him into isolation until Pein decided his fate.

* * *

The pierced rebel leader examined the electronic devices in the bag. He had yet to hand them over for analysis, since he wished to wait until Kakuzu and Itachi returned to oversee the operation.

"_Pein, a storm has appeared over the Frace," _Konan announced, showing him the latest satellite images from their contacts, _"Captain Hoshigaki and his team will be unable to fly in that. It will set them back for about a day."_

"_Very well Konan,"_ Pein replied, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration, _"Until they return, we will simply have to wait to examine these. I will put you in charge of Deidara's isolation. Ensure he is treated fairly, like you wished for."_

Konan gave a small smile, her ears flickering with amusement at the leader's orders. It helped having the leader of a rebel movement wrapped around her little finger.

"_Very well sir,"_ she replied, kissing him on the cheek before leaving the office.

* * *

"I do believe it was your incompetence that led to the destruction of our shipments. I am aware. Very well, we shall be able to fill the order within two months."

Slamming down the phone, the man rubbed his forehead in annoyance. Sonda were a double edged sword; very profitable but annoying to the extreme.

"Was that our little friend on Sondarsta?"

"Yes, it appears that a group was able to infiltrate the warehouse and blow it up. All the weaponry we had sent was destroyed. He wants double the order next time to compensate."

Little chuckles emitted from the second man, who was seated in a high backed swivel chair behind a luxurious mahogany desk.

"Well, we would hate to disappoint now wouldn't we? Now, about this group, do we know anything about them?"

"Yes actually, I believe, it was rebels. There is a possibility that the group of humans who went to Sondarsta eight months ago are still alive, even though they were announced K.I.A. My connections made sure of that."

"Hmm, well, perhaps we need to get a word from our man on the inside."

"Inside of where sir?"

"Why, the rebel army of course! He will be very willing to cooperate, what with the leverage we have over him."

"Ah, yes sir, shall I contact him?"

"Not right now, we have an order to fill, however, do make a small note to afterwards, if he hasn't contacted us first."

"Of course."

* * *

**_So, I was looking around through a few notebooks I own and I found my original plot for this story in the back of my technology notebook! It's changed a little bit from the original draft but other than that, I'm surprised by how much I've stuck to the original draft! Usually I make up a plot and start writing, just to veer off completely in a new direction! _**

**_School has been surprisingly laid back at the minute! I've actually been doing homework for the first time ever, and I'm up to date with my art projects too! It's a sign of the Apocalypse! D: Everyone, hide in your underground bunkers! All I've got is a cupboard under the stairs but it will do! :D lol_**

**_Anyways I'm away to watch The Big Bang Theory (Jim Parsons should rule the wrold!), so pretty please review and I love you all! :D_**


	21. Chapter 21

_******Hey everyone! Just found the time to write this chapter and I felt inspired today! Ahaha! I also have awesome news too! I'M GETTING A PUPPY! A doberman! We're thinking of calling it Zeus!lol I was really surprised since my parents had vowed to never get another pet!  
Anyway, on with the chapter! :3**_

_**Disclaimer I don't own anything.  
**_

* * *

Deidara woke to a dull throbbing sensation in his back. Groggily, he glanced around the room, recognising the room he had been in since before his x-rays. Releasing a yawn, he attempted to sit up, but a sharp pain shot through him, causing a startled whistle and a pained groan to emit from his lips.

"_You should not move around yet,"_ stated a young looking doctor. Deidara nodded, wincing a little. Glancing past the doctor, he saw the elegant form of Konan, who gave him a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"_How are you feeling Deidara?" _she asked, taking a seat. The blonde's ears flickered timidly.

"_I'm fine un," _he murmured, _"It's a bit sore, but I'll get better soon right?"_

He directed his question to the doctor, who gave a curt nod as he read over Deidara's chart.

"_You will need to rest for a week or two,"_ he explained, _"Since we were operating on such a sensitive area as your back, it is essential that you do not cause any grievance to the healing wound."_

Deidara nodded slowly, sighing with frustration. Konan smirked a little and ordered the doctor to leave with a tilt of her head. The male took the hint, while raising an eyebrow but left without complaint. The blunette turned her attention back to Deidara.

"_You will be pleased to know that your team will be back by tomorrow," _she said casually, _"They were stranded temporarily due to the weather."_

"_Are they okay un?" _Deidara demanded, shifting a little. Konan nodded.

"_Yes they are," _she murmured, _"However, I need to speak to you about something very important and you will do well to listen to me carefully."_

The blonde nodded, shrinking away from the woman as her aura changed from concerned to stern and business like. Deidara attempted to make eye contact but the smouldering amber eyes were too intense for his liking; he had a feeling he was in trouble.

"_We found these devices, implanted in you," _Konan explained, _"Closer inspection will tell us exactly what they are, however, Pein has his suspicions."_

Deidara listened to her, feeling nauseous when she mentions things implanted into his back. He looked up at her in confusion.

"_What does he think un?" _he asked, fidgeting as Konan thought up her answer.

"_Pein believes that it was you who leaked our location to the military," _she replied, biting her lip a little, _"I am following his orders, which are to have you kept in isolation until your name is cleared; if it is cleared. If we find out that you are the spy…well…I would rather not think of it. I like you Deidara, you are very unique. However, as the situation stands, Pein will be deciding your fate."_

Deidara listened to her fearfully, the colour draining away from his face. He suddenly felt sick to his stomach, ears crushed against his skull.

"_B-b-but I'd never d-do that un!" _he cried, _"How could you think I would? I didn't even know about those…those things until you said anything!"_

Konan felt her heart break a little when she saw tears threatening to spill out of those sapphire orbs, which were begging and pleading for her faith in him. She shook her head slowly and made her way towards the door.

"_I am sorry Deidara, I do not believe you are capable of such betrayal but I have to follow my orders,"_ she explained, turning around and opening the door. With a backward glance and one final apology, she closed the door on the weeping teenager and locked it, almost wincing at the unnaturally harsh click.

"_Danna un,"_ Deidara whimpered, chokingly holding onto his sobs as he lay in the lonely room, wishing for his human, who would undoubtedly believe him. His back throbbed as a reminder of the new pain he would have to face in the near future.

* * *

Sasori felt a heavy weight gnawing at his insides as he touched down at the camp. His eyelids were heavy from concentrating on the long journey and now all he wanted was a shower and bed. However, he had a brat to go and see first.

His entire body felt like a heavy burden as he dragged himself towards the medical wing. Yawning heavily, he reached Deidara's room, his eyebrows rising at the sight of armed guards standing outside.

"What's going on here?" he asked, a little snappishly thanks to his fatigued state. One of the guards, a tall male with long brown hair and pale lavender eyes glared at him as he replied.

"Orders from Pein," he drawled, "This traitor is to be kept under lock and key."

"Traitor?" Sasori demanded, "Please, the kid isn't a good enough liar to pull anything of that nature off."

The second guard blinked at the cluelessness of the human before them. He sighed and gave Sasori a rundown.

"The doctors found these devices on his back and Pein thinks they are related to the information leak a few weeks ago," he stated, "The kid is to be kept in isolation until his innocence or guilt is determined."

Sasori's eyes widened a little upon hearing the information. Bracing himself, he steeled his nerves and drew himself to his fullest height; which was still tiny compared to the extremely tall and lanky Sonda.

"Let me see him," he said monotonously, "Now."

"We do not have the key," the first guard explained, "If you wish to see him, then you will have to ask Konan."

Sasori scowled and stomped through the ship, searching for the blue haired second in command. Everyone seemed to sense his murderous aura, since they gave him a wide berth and attempted to ignore him.

"Konan!" he snarled, kicking open the door to Pein's office. Konan glanced up, giving a startled chirp. Pein growled and wrinkled his nose, baring his teeth.

"What is it Sasori?" he asked, tone eerily calm for the look on his face. The redhead crossed his arms and kept his snarl.

"I wish to see my partner," he stated, "But the brat seems to be under lock and key. Since when was he a prisoner?"

Pein sighed, standing up and walking around the desk.

"We found a rather disturbing discovery," he explained, "I have suspicions about it and until it is investigated by someone with more knowledge than I possess. Deidara is simply to remain in one place until his innocence or guilt is proven."

Sasori scowled and turned to Konan.

"I want to see him," he snapped, "That kid's been through enough without you bastards locking him up like some kind of damn animal!"

Konan complied, no emotion crossing her face. She walked briskly towards the medical wing, Sasori hot on her heels as he stalked after her. Reaching into a pocket on her military jacket, the blunette pulled out a key and swiftly unlocked the door. She opened it and stood back, allowing the redheaded human to enter. As soon as he had stepped into the room, she locked the door behind him.

"You have half an hour," she said sternly. Sasori gave a curt nod and then turned around to see Deidara lying in the bed. He looked horribly pale and his eyes were red and puffy, most likely from crying. Sasori sighed and placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder, shaking it gently.

"Brat, wake up," he uttered, "Deidara."

The blonde cracked his eyes open with a small guttural grunt. Glancing up at Sasori, the blue pools snapped open and he bolted upright, grabbing Sasori. His grip squeezed tighter as he whimpered against the pain shooting up his spine.

"D-Danna un!" he cried, "I'm scared! They think I'm the one who spied on them but I would never do that Danna honest I had no idea what those things were or where they came from don't let them lock me away-"

Sasori cut off the hysterical exclamations with a deep, passionate kiss. Deidara moaned softly, his tongue sneaking out to play with the redhead's as their lips melded together.

They broke apart and Sasori sat down on the bed, stroking the blonde's hair as he comforted the whimpering teen.

"Hush brat," he soothed, "I know it wasn't you. Pein is just being careful. You'll be let out of here in no time, I'm sure."

He felt like he was lying but squashed down that thought. The Sonda were rational beings after all. They would cover every possible angle and prove Deidara's innocence without even trying to.

He hoped.

After several minutes, the blonde was calm and simply inhaled the deep, comforting scent of Sasori. His eyelids drooped as he felt safe and secure in the human's arms.

"Sasori, your time is up," Konan stated, unlocking the door. Deidara reluctantly scooted out of his Danna's embrace as a final chaste kiss was placed on his forehead, before Sasori stood up and gave him a tiny reassuring smile.

He walked out of the room, ignoring Konan as she locked the door again. Sasori walked off towards the showers.

* * *

"So let me get this fucking straight," Hidan said for the fourteenth time that day, "These little motherfuckers here were found in Blondie's back and Pein think's that they're related to the bastards who leaked the Intel on our location?"

Kakuzu sighed and dropped the 'little motherfucker' onto the workbenches surface and glared at Hidan.

"Yes Hidan, that is correct, now what don't you understand?" he demanded. Hidan just shrugged.

"I just think its bullshit," he replied casually, flashing a lazy grin, "So what are they?"

Kakuzu hummed in irritation as he began to fiddle with the first device.

"They are tracking devices," he explained, "However, they're strange. The way they were attached to the spine…and these wires here…they're used to send signals to the brain. I'll need to examine it some more to determine what it was 'sending' to Deidara's brain but that's what I have so far."

Hidan blinked a few times, a grin stretching his face.

"That's so cool man!" he exclaimed, "So Blondie will be freed anytime soon right?"

"Hmm."

* * *

Kakuzu connected the small devices to the computer and waited for it to read the hard drives. Glancing over to the clock, he noticed it was well past midnight. He looked down at the floor and noticed his partner curled up sound asleep on the floor. He rolled his eyes at the human, sleeping at his side, like a loyal old hound. Removing his jacket, he draped it around the pale human, who stirred a little but stayed in his slumber, a cheeky little grin sported on his face.

Kakuzu turned his attention back to the screen and he began to process the binary code that littered his screen. He had to present his findings to Pein in the morning. He hoped against hope that it wasn't his doing that condemned the little blonde kid. Hidan and the others would never forgive him.

* * *

Pein scanned the documents with tired eyes, while Kisame and Itachi sat in an uncomfortable silence. Kisame was extremely pissed off that Pein had punished one of _his _team without his presence or permission. Itachi, who was also very irritated, simply remained silent, not wishing to speak to anyone.

"So what information do you have on this company?" Pein asked, dropping the papers on the desk. Kisame shrugged.

"All we know is that it's a massive company with several branches," he explained, "Serpanstela Industries is the weapons manufacturer, owned by some guy called Orochimaru Sannin. The company was split three ways and his two cousins took over the other sides. He has a business partner who works closely with him on every deal, signing and project. His name is Kabuto Yakushi."

"So do we know why these men would be selling weapons to both sides of the war?" Pein murmured, "Possibly to double their profits?"

Itachi shook his head.

"I don't believe it would be as simple as that," he replied, "If that was the case, they would simply raise their prices and blame it on inflation caused by the war. It must be for more political reasons," he mused. Kisame nodded.

"He's right, more profits would be easier to come by than backstabbing your own kind," Kisame said, flashing a matter of fact look towards Pein. The rebel leader chose to ignore this little show, in favour of the Sonda who had just walked through the door.

"Ah, Kakuzu, what's wrong?" he asked. The stitched Sonda took a seat and set his findings down on the table. Glancing up at everyone, he sighed heavily, running a hand over his face.

"I have worked on this all night," he stated, "It is everything I could find on those devices. It's not looking good."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Kisame and Konan. Pein dropped his head into his hands and Itachi simply looked down at his hands, solemnly.

"Tell us," Pein muttered, not bothering to look up. Kakuzu opened up the folder.

"The devices were tracking devices," he explained, "However I do not believe that Deidara was even aware of their presence. They were attached to his spine because the device at the top of his spine because it was sending signals to his brain which was suppressing memories."

"Suppressing them?" Kisame queried, eyebrow raised, "Can you do that?"

Kakuzu nodded.

"Yes, but it requires a very delicate procedure, to ensure the brain is not damaged," he explained, "Because of this, I believe someone simply used Deidara. He had no idea what was going on."

"But who was using him?" Kisame asked quietly. Kakuzu shook his head.

"He would not know, however someone else may have been inserted into the rebel army with him," he replied, "Meaning that the real spy may attempt to silence Deidara or escape soon."

"Silence him?" Kisame exclaimed, "We'll need to protect him and watch everyone else carefully."

Pein sighed, muttering a few things to Konan who nodded.

"Right, Deidara is to be released when he is completely healed," he stated, "Until then, he will stay in that room, with the guard outside. I will allow one of your team to stay with him at all times."

Kisame nodded, standing up. Itachi followed his example and together they left the room with Kakuzu. A huge weight was lifted from their shoulders at the news of the blonde's innocence. However, now another question lingered over their heads.

Who had been controlling Deidara?

* * *

**_So there you have it! :3 This chapter was simply more informing and stuff, I don't really have an opinion of it. I just know where the story is going and I'm sticking with it. Sorry if it's boring but hopefully it will get more exciting and tense later on. :) I'm sooooo excited for the end of November! That's when we might be bringing the puppy home but we're first gonna go down and see them in about two weeks but the breeder we're getting the puppy from is farther south than Dublin so it's gonna be a long drive!lol_**

**_Pretty please review my lovely readers! :D_**


	22. Chapter 22

_******Hey everyone! I said I would upload before the end of the week and I have just made the deadline by a matter of hours! ^^' Sorry for the long wait but hopefully you like the chapter and it was worth the wait. :3**_

_**Although I'm not sure how many of you guys are going to hate me after this chapter -_- If you do hate me then...ummmmmm...please don't hate me, I love you guys! D':**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto :( If I did, a lot of it would be different!  
**_

* * *

Deidara's recovery was surprisingly swift, enabling him to be released mere weeks after the discovery of his innocence. He was back to training with Sasori, laughing with Kisame and Hidan and even holding polite conversations with Itachi.

However, even if everyone acknowledged that he was cleared of being a spy, not everyone in the camp accepted him. He had to learn to live with the nasty glares and the menacing snarls that were shot his way daily.

"Just ignore them brat," Sasori murmured, steering the frightened Sonda through the halls of the ship, "They'll forget all about it soon."

Deidara merely nodded, ears flat against his head, form slouched, making him look even smaller than he already was. He hadn't left Sasori's side since his release, nor had he dared venture out of their room on his own. This was also partly Kisame's doing, who feared for the Sonda's safety. However, three weeks after the news was out, no one had made any indication of wishing to physically harm him.

"Do you suppose anyone in the camp _was _controlling him?" Sasori asked in a hushed tone, to his captain, who was seated across the table from him. Kisame shrugged, glancing over at Deidara and his own partner who was chatting with the blonde while they filled their food trays at the salad bar.

"Who knows," he muttered in reply, "They may have been here, or they could have done a runner; however Pein would've noticed that. Perhaps they were never here to begin with. I mean, we don't know where Deidara came from. You remember the only thing the kid told us was that he was looking for the rebel camp when we found him."

Sasori blinked a few times, surprised that Kisame could remember small details that far back. Reminiscing to the start of their mission made the redhead's stomach churn.

So much had changed since then. Things were in simple black and white, orders were orders and the war had two sides; us and them. Now, he had no idea who to trust, who to target or who to believe.

"You're right," he said slowly, after several minutes of silence, "Do you want me to ask him to help us find out who did it to him?"

Kisame considered the possibility for a moment, before nodding, a small smirk spreading over his face.

"It would probably be best if it was you actually," he mused, "After all, you're his _Danna_."

Sasori stuck his tongue out, surprising Kisame with the childish act.

"Oh don't even begin to tease me, when you know how bad that soft spot for Itachi is getting," the redhead snickered, "What's going on there, may I ask?"

Kisame raised an eyebrow, his smirk turning into a scowl as Sasori began to giggle like a schoolgirl. Raising a hand, he smacked the pilot on the side of the head, before sighing.

"He's a good friend to have," he responded defensively, "He is intelligent, good to work with and I trust him with my life."

"Ah, sounds like love at first sight," Sasori teased, pretending to swoon, "You got hit hard didn't you?"

Kisame growled, flicking a pea at his team member.

"At least I'm not eating my partner's face off every time no one's looking!" he hissed playfully, laughing in triumph when Sasori's face went the colour of his hair.

"Did you eat a chilli or something Danna un?" Deidara asked curiously, sliding his tray and himself into the space next to the redhead.

"N-no! No I didn't brat," he stammered out, turning his face away from the blonde, who blinked innocently.

"Then why is your face all red un?" he asked, leaning around to see his face, which had gone down to pink. Sasori shook his head furiously.

"You're seeing things brat," he replied casually, "I'm perfectly fine. Now eat your food; then we're going training with Kisame and Itachi."

Deidara nodded eagerly, flashing a small grin at the pair. Sasori decided to get more coffee and offered Kisame a refill. Making his way to the coffee machine, he noticed a presence behind him.

"Sasori, I need a quick word," Itachi murmured, waiting in line with the redhead. Sasori nodded, listening closely.

"I have a feeling that someone may try to harm Deidara," the raven stated, "It is just a hunch, however I don't want you caught off guard."

Sasori nodded slowly, filling up the two coffee cups.

"Thank you Itachi," he muttered, "Although, I've been 'on guard' for the past month. I'm convinced I've developed paranoia."

A tiny chuckle came from Itachi, as the pair walked back to their table. Sasori glanced over to make sure Deidara's plate was empty as he downed his coffee.

"Well, we might as well go train," he mused, glancing at his captain, "We'll see you down there."

Kisame and Itachi nodded, Kisame flashing a grateful smile as Sasori dragged his brat out of the ship.

"C'mon, I don't want you sitting around bone idle and getting rusty," he stated, pulling Deidara along.

"Um Danna, I'm not made of metal, I can't get rusty un."

"Just forget it."

* * *

Deidara glanced over at the horizon, seeing the sun going down. It streaked the sky with brilliant reds, oranges and a few hues of pink. The desert around the sinking orb was stained red, gradually growing darker with the passing moments. The blonde couldn't take his eyes away from the beautiful sight, sighing contentedly.

Sasori smirked a little at his partner's serene face and relaxed demeanour. Taking a stand next to him, Deidara smiled and snuck his slender hand into Sasori's paler one, entwining their fingers almost shyly.

"It's beautiful isn't it un?" he murmured, "It's different from the sunsets in the rainforest though. This one's more…"

"Red?" Sasori suggested with a smirk. Deidara stuck his tongue out, shaking his head.

"No un," he giggled, "It's faster; a brief moment of beauty before it disappears into darkness. It's…art."

Sasori sighed, lifting the blonde's hand to his lips.

"I told you," he murmured, lips brushing against the Sonda's knuckles, "Art is eternal…never dying, never fading."

Deidara scoffed, pulling his hand away with a cheeky smirk.

"Nothing lasts forever Danna," he said matter of factly, "Everything dies, fades, disappears, whatever. Art is a fleeting moment of raw beauty and power before it's gone forever un!"

Sasori sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Such potential gone to waste on a silly idea," he smirked, "I wish I had gotten to you sooner brat, then I could have stopped that notion."

Deidara stopped smiling, hands falling limp to his sides, his face falling.

* * *

"_You do not realise the potential he truly has Masami!" his father shouted, slamming the door to his office shut on the two small children. However, that lone door wasn't enough to block out the screaming voices._

"_For what? Being a cold blooded murderer, a dog who follows your every command yeah?" mother screamed back, "You are a cruel bastard, even thinking of forcing your own son into such a life! You do not even stop to ask what he could want!"_

"_He will be a hero for his country," father snarled._

"_He will be another corpse to add to the list of 'heroes' who have already been killed yeah!"_

_Aiko covered his ears and pulled him out into the garden, to escape from their angry parents._

"_Aiko-nee, why is father always angry?" he asked quietly, sitting next to his sister below the big tree. The older blonde girl shook her head, wrapping her arms around the small boy, who was no older than four._

"_He has a very important job Dei-chan," she replied, "It puts a lot of pressure on him, so he can become angry when something goes wrong. Do not worry, he still loves us."_

_He looked down at his small hands, sighing a little._

"_Sometimes I am not so sure he does un," he mumbled._

_Both children were interrupted by their mother calling for them both. They ran into the house, smiling brightly at the woman, who looked much colder than usual._

"_Dei-chan, your father wishes to see you," she said somewhat bitterly, her ears drooped. The little Sonda nodded stiffly, slowly making his way towards his father's office._

"_F-Father un," the blonde chirped, closing the door behind him. The tale male Sonda stood up, his tired eyes narrowing at the small male before him. The child fidgeted, nervously under the steely gaze of his parent._

"_You had so much potential," he grunted, reaching a hand out to his son. He flinched when his father's hand rested on his head, "Such a waste. I should have made a stand sooner."_

* * *

"Brat? Deidara, are you alright?" Sasori was struck by the distressed expression on his blonde's face. Grasping his small shoulders, he shook his partner, attempting to bring him back.

"Deidara, snap out of it," he growled. The blonde wrapped his arms around the redhead, whimpering a little.

"D-Danna, I r-remembered something un!" he exclaimed, "I couldn't remember it before but I do now!"

Sasori staggered as the blonde became dead weight, babbling about remembering.

"Brat, calm down, remember to breathe," he uttered, lowering the teen until they were both knelt on the dusty ground. Deidara looked up at the redhead, smiling strangely.

"This is strange, it's like a flood of memories un," he beamed. Sasori blinked a few times, apprehensive of his partner's behaviour.

"Um, that's good," he mutterer, "C'mon, you need to sleep; we'll go back now."

Neither spoke as they walked back towards the ship; both fatigued from their rigorous training session. The sun had all but set, leaving the pair in the fading light.

"Convenient that I should find you both here, with no witnesses."

Sasori shoved Deidara to the side as a blade came whizzing through the air, embedding itself in the ground. The blonde chirped in alarm, frantically looking around to see Sasori kicking the attacker in the gut.

"Danna un!" he exclaimed. Sasori growled at him, poised to attack again.

"Deidara, get back to the ship! It's you he wants," he shouted, "Find Kisame or Itachi!"

The Sonda stood frozen as the shadowed figure pulled out an unmistakable weapon, aiming it at him. He shut his eyes, ears flattened against his skull. A violent bang sounded, shattering the silence, but no pain followed. Cracking his eye open, his heart hammered at the sight of Sasori attempting to wrestle the handgun out of the offender's hands.

"Deidara, I said fucking run!" he screeched, as the gun went off again. This time, the blonde nodded frantically, scrambling to his feet and racing for the ship, his long legs making it a very short journey.

"What the hell's going on?" called a disgruntled but familiar voice. Deidara blew a sigh of relief and skidded to a halt in front of his captain.

"K-Kisame un! Danna…fighting…someone- he has a gun!" he shrieked, speaking in broken English, switching between clicks, chirps and actually words in his blind panic.

Kisame thankfully got the idea and took off into the darkness beyond the dim lights of the ship's interior, Itachi, Hidan and Kakuzu on his tail. Deidara ran with them, racing ahead to help his lover.

Sasori dodged the blade again, having thrown the gun from the mysterious male's hand some time ago. Both males were breathing hard and bleeding from various cuts and wounds but neither would back down.

"You do not need to do this," said the man slowly, "Just hand over that boy and you can walk away from this with your life."

Sasori growled and made a move to grab the knife, just to receive a blow to the stomach and another nasty cut on his forearm.

"N-never!" he wheezed, standing up straight just in time to twist away from another attack, "H-he's more important than my life!"

His opponent sighed heavily, almost hesitating before lunging forward, knocking the pilot to the ground, blade aimed for his throat. Sasori caught it a mere inch away from his pale skin.

"I really do not want to do this," growled the unknown male, "But I have to. You have no idea what you are all dealing with!"

Sasori couldn't reply as his arm trembled with the effort of holding off the knife. He was fighting a slowly losing battle, he knew he was going to die; the best he could hope for was to hang on just long enough to ensure Deidara's safety.

"Danna un!"

Sasori's heart lurched, but the sudden distraction gave him enough time to shove the man off him and role away. His chest heaved as he looked up from the dirt, relief washing over him when four figures grabbed and held down the would-be assassin as Deidara came running over to him. Staggering to his feet, he grabbed his blonde partner for support.

"Who is that bastard?" he hissed, limping over to the group. Kisame held down the struggling figure as Itachi ripped the black balaclava off the man's head.

Underneath the mask, was a Sonda male. His hair was short, spikey and black in colour and the right side of his face was horribly scarred. His eyes were onyx in colour and his skin was pale. He looked disturbingly familiar.

"H-how?"

Everyone glanced over to see a startled Itachi, whose eyes were wide and confused.

"Itachi, you know this bastard?" Kisame demanded, "Who is he?"

Itachi shook his head, crouching down to be at eye level with the male. His startled expression turned to one of anger and possibly hurt.

"I know him," he replied slowly, "His name is Obito Uchiha."

"Wait Uchiha?" Sasori snarled, "You're family members?"

Itachi nodded solemnly, glaring down at the male, who was hanging his head.

"You all know him as well," he murmured, "I knew there was something strange about you, Tobi."

"T-Tobi?"

Itachi nodded slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Yes, I have never met a human who was able to speak our language so fluently, since it should be impossible," he explained, "Our vocal chords are arranged slightly differently to enable us to make the various sounds. And I always felt a strange sensation of familiarity when around Tobi."

"Y-you do not understand!" Obito exclaimed, "You have no idea what is going on here! Let me kill that blonde and I will leave immediately. I will harm no one else!"

"You are not getting Deidara," Sasori said lowly, a murderous aura emitting from him. Kisame nodded and hauled Obito to his feet, along with Kakuzu.

"You aren't going anywhere," he stated, "We have a lot of questions for you!"

* * *

**_We've picked out our new puppy! She's a gorgeous wee thing and I'm so excited about getting her home which will be 1st of December! :D Unfortunately though, school starts back tomorrow and I haven't done half of my homeworks which is...to be expected since it's me!lol _**

******_I am completely aware of who Tobi truly is and how this came to be (thanks to Aaron in my drama class ^^). However, I had this story planned out way before Kishimoto's 'plot twist'. Therefore, I had decided that Madara and Tobi would be two different people. My plot has nothing to do with the actual manga plot so don't take anything that is in this story as fact (I mean SERIOUSLY half of the Akatsuki are ALIENS!lol)_**


	23. Chapter 23

_**Whoop whoop! New chapter! I'm trying to upload at least one chapter a week now, since I seem to be inspired as of late! My best friend is back from her holiday in Cuba and she brought me back a Cuban Cigar as a present! xD lol! I'm not gonna smoke it though, it's just an ornament! (Unless I have a Captain Price moment and smoke it before I die after taking out the evil Russian guy! ^-^) Anywho, on with the chapter! :D**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing...yet!  
**_

* * *

"You people have no idea what you are dealing with!"

"Then enlighten us!"

"I cannot!"

"Why?"

This was the same never ending cycle of tedious questions and statements that Pein and Tobi-or Obito, as he was now known-had been throwing back and forth, with no end in sight and no answers that were even remotely noteworthy.

"Is this all Pein can think of?" Sasori growled, glaring harshly at the black haired male, who was tied to a steel chair in the middle of a completely bare word. Itachi and Deidara remained silent as they watched through the two way mirror. Kisame set a hand on Sasori should, telling him to calm down.

"He's trying to start off lightly to avoid any unnecessary violence," he said reassuringly, "If that bastard refuses to talk on his own, Itachi will go in next."

Sasori cast a sideways glance at the raven Sonda, who was transfixed on his relative, anger, disgust and pain clear in his eyes but otherwise cleverly hidden behind his neutral mask.

Pein marched out of the room and walked into their little side room, calling for Itachi.

"Itachi, he's not talking," he murmured, "It's time for you to try."

Itachi gave a curt nod and followed his leader out, leaving Kisame, Sasori and Deidara to sit in the room, watching his next actions through the glass. Deidara shifted closer to press himself into Sasori's side, as the pilot wrapped his arm around the blonde's shoulders. Deidara nuzzled his nose against his redhead's cheek, gently, avoiding the cuts and bruises.

Pein opened the door, stepping back to allow Itachi to enter the room. Obito felt the room temperature drop, the second his relative entered.

"Itachi," he murmured, "Finally, someone who will listen to me."

Itachi remained silent, watching the male closely; Obito didn't seem at all fazed by the ominous stare, he remained weary and frustrated.

"Do not think that just because we both bear the name Uchiha that I will stand up for you," Itachi stated slowly, "You tried to kill my comrades. I would even go as far as to say you attempted to murder my friends."

Obito shut his eyes with a heavy sigh, his last hope of being understood withering away, faster than a rose on a chilly autumn morning.

"I need to do it," he explained quietly, "You do not understand; how could you? If that boy does not die by my hands…they…"

He bowed his head, choking on his words. Itachi blinked, having been intrigued by this sudden possible crack in the male's composure.

"Go on," he said coldly, "If you give us everything you know, we may be able to come to an…arrangement."

Obito swallowed slightly, before scowling and glaring up at his relative harshly.

"Fine," he spat, "A couple of years ago, I was approached by a human male while I was on a recon mission on planet Earth. He attacked me and said that if I ever wanted to see my wife again, I would infiltrate the human military and gain their trust."

"Your wife?" Itachi murmured, not even remotely fazed. Obito nodded.

"R-Rin," he murmured the name tenderly, "Th-they will kill her if I do not succeed in this mission! If Deidara does not die, then she will! I have no choice!"

Itachi looked rather startled at this outcry. His gaze flickered to the glass window, aware of the Sonda behind it who had turned a sickly pale colour.

"That is not going to happen," he said smoothly, "Unfortunately, he means a lot to us."

Obito cried out, like a wounded animal; he began to weep, head hanging low and shoulders heaving with the effort of holding back his tears and retaining his pride. Itachi walked over to the fellow raven and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Do not worry," he said almost gently, if he were capable of it, "We will try to help in every way we can. Rin will not die. But you need to tell us everything."

Obito swallowed nervously, his eyes glinting with apprehension and worry. He hesitated before nodding very slowly. Itachi loosened his grip on the male's shoulder and back away, nodding at Pein and the others. Obito remained tied up while Pein and Itachi left him, to converse with the others.

Quietly walking into the room, Itachi made his way straight to Kisame's side and remained there. Kisame gave him a small, sad smile which Itachi returned with a reassuring nod.

"So, he was being forced to comply with the orders of a mystery man in exchange for the life of his wife?" Sasori asked sarcastically, "This is turning into a real clique!"

Deidara placed a hand over his mouth, without moving any other part of his body or even glancing his way. Sasori gave an undignified whine, giving his blonde a look which demanded 'what is the meaning of this?' but soon dissipated upon seeing the teen's pale, upset face.

Pein ignored the exchange in favour of speaking with Itachi and Kisame.

"If we are to 'rescue' this woman as you have suggested we do Itachi, we will need to find out where she was taken from, how has taken her and where they are keeping her," Pein mused, pinching the bridge of his nose, "The only reason I am even thinking about letting you do this is because I believe this is all connected to the war. You will question Obito and find everything he knows; and I mean everything. Only when you have enough information will you act. Until then, no one on this ship is to know of his identity or of the events that took place last night, except for your team Kisame, Konan and myself. Understood?"

"Yes sir," the four chorused, nodding in approval. With a glance towards the pilot and blonde, Pein gave one final order.

"Sasori, Deidara, your presence is no longer necessary; go and wash up and rest."

Deidara made to protest, however Sasori nodded and dragged the younger male out of the small room with him.

"D-Danna why are you making me leave un?" he demanded angrily, "I should be helping!"

"Why? Why should you be helping?" Sasori asked irritably, "You're exhausted brat; look at you, you're close to collapsing from exhaustion!"

Deidara looked rather outraged, his eyes firing with disgust.

"That man's wife is in danger because of _me _un!" he snarled, "That's why I should be helping! Don't make me stand by when _I _should be fixing this un!"

Sasori was rather startled by the aggressive behaviour from his usually pleasant blonde partner. Regarding him cautiously, he realised it wasn't disgust in those shimmering blue pools. It was self-loathing.

With a heavy sigh, the pilot pulled his brat into a hug in the middle of the corridor.

"Deidara," he murmured reassuringly, "None of this is your fault. Itachi and Pein are going to get all the information necessary, we will form a plan and then you will be helping with the most important part. Okay?"

The Sonda nodded, ears twitching as he inhaled the redhead's scent. Realising he still smelled of sweat, dirt and a hint of blood.

"Danna you smell bad un," he giggled. Sasori rolled his eyes and dragged his brat to the showers, who snickered all the way down.

* * *

Hidan was awaked by the sound of fleshing making contact with metal and a very unmanly yelp. Bolting upright, he made ready to snarl at the offender, when he took in the sight of Sasori hopping around on one foot while clutching his throbbing pinkie toe, while Deidara clutched his ribs, laughing so hard that tears were sliding down is flushed cheeks. Hidan groaned and threw his pillow over his head.

"Fuck you all," he almost whimpered in his sleepy state. Sasori uttered a gasping apology before clipping Deidara round the ear, just to get a grumpy pout.

"Go the fuck to sleep," Hidan growled.

"I would not if I were you Hidan," said his partner from the doorway, "Pein wants to see us too immediately."

Hidan whined again.

"Whaaat? I just got to fucking sleep, then these two bastards wake me up!" he complained, "Now you want me to stay awake at fucking…"

"0300 hours," Sasori added helpfully from his bunk. Hidan flipped off both the redhead and the stitched Sonda. Kakuzu rolled his eyes and grabbed a hold of the silver haired man's ankle and yanked him off the mattress.

What the fuck!" he screeched, rubbing his head, which had been smacked off of the metal frame of the bunk bed. Kakuzu smirked, eyes shining with amusement as he held out a hand to let the smaller man up.

"It is urgent apparently," he explained, "Pein wants the whole team there, excluding these two, since they already know what we are going to be briefed on. We are also necessary for formulating a strategy for our next mission."

Hidan grumbled incoherent threats to the rebel leader but complied with throwing on a pair of trousers, boots and a muscle top, before following his partner out of the sleeping quarters and towards the interrogation rooms.

Sasori rolled over to see Deidara lying facing him.

"Danna un?" he whispered. Sasori hummed in acknowledgement; Deidara shifted a little, uncertain if he should continue.

"Um…I wanted to…ask you something…about my memory un," he mumbled, sitting up. Sasori sat up and regarded his partner carefully.

"What's wrong with your memory?" he asked tone unintentionally harsh. Deidara swallowed and swung his legs around to sit facing his redhead.

"There's nothing wrong with my memories un," he explained regarding his hands with too much interest, refusing to make eye contact, "It's just that…I'm remembering more; things that I didn't remember before. You know?"

Sasori mused for a few minutes, reminiscing the information Kisame had given him.

"Yes, Kakuzu mentioned that those devices that were found inside you were sending signals to your brain, suppressing memories," he explained slowly, "Since they've been taken out, you should be able to remember more."

Deidara nodded slowly, looking up at him, blue pools meeting chocolate brown.

"Why didn't you tell me before un?" he asked innocently; he didn't blame his Danna for not telling him, it could have simply slipped his mind. Sasori shrugged.

"Kakuzu and Itachi suggested not to," he replied casually, "They seemed to think that if you were told you had suppressed memories, you would try to remember them faster. Doing this could have caused problems. I'm not very knowledgeable in this field but just roll with it."

Deidara nodded slowly, trying to take the information in.

"So…this memory thing is alright un?" he queried, "So they're real memories and not fake ones?"

Sasori nodded slowly, his brow furrowing at the sudden question.

"No, they're not fake," he promised, "Why what are you remembering?"

The blonde Sonda shrugged and snuggled under his blanket, rolling over to face the wall. Sasori frowned but followed his partner's example; however he remained watching his brat like a hawk.

"Bad things," Deidara whispered.

* * *

"Okay, the first thing we need to find out is who have Rin," Itachi stated matter of factly. All the eyes in the room, both human and Sonda turned to Obito. He shrugged.

"I can give you a description of the man who approached me," he said, "However, I was never told his name or the name of who he worked for."

"How do you know he wasn't behind this?" Kisame asked casually. Obito smirked a little.

You're perceptive," he acknowledged, "I knew because he made several phone calls to someone who he called 'Sir' in my presence. He also asked this 'Sir' if he was allowed to do certain things and also promised to follow orders."

Kisame nodded, seemingly satisfied with this answer.

"Okay, can you give us the description then?" requested Pein, his chin rested in his folded hands, ringed eyes watching the team around the huge circular table. Most weary eyes were rested on Obito who was directly opposite him.

"He was human, like I said before," he explained quietly, "He was a Caucasian male, midtwenties, with silver hair, tied back in a ponytail and round thin framed glasses. Every time I saw him, he was dressed in a formal black business suit and a bowler hat."

Glancing through files of possible suspects, Hidan suddenly clicked his fingers in realisation.

"Hey, don't you have a picture of that fucker who works for that huge ass weapon company thing? Sounds a shit load like him!" he exclaimed quickly. Kisame grabbed the file on Serpanstela Industries and flicked it open. Sure enough, there was a photograph of the two owners shaking hands with some official.

"Is this the man you were contacted by?" he asked, swiftly scooting the picture across the surface of the table. Obito regarded it carefully with his one eye, which widened dramatically.

"Yes! This is the monster!" he snarled, passing the photograph back. Everyone frowned, glancing back towards Pein.

"So Serpanstela Industries are holding an innocent Sonda woman hostage and using her as blackmail against a respected Sonda soldier to ensure they have a man on the inside of the rebel camp?" Kisame queried, "Damn Sasori was right, this does sound clique!"

"Clique but true!" Obito snapped, "Now, you promised you would help her! I don't care what you do to me but you have to save Rin!"

Pein gave him a curt nod, standing from his position.

"Obito, you will give all the information that you have on the men who kidnapped your wife to Itachi and Kisame," he stated, "Then you will be put into isolation until we bring her back. If I find out you are lying, that there is no Rin, or that this is in fact a trap…I promise you the most excruciating death, you will be begging and pleading for the end before we have even gotten close to it. Do I make myself clear?"

Obito nodded, scowling a little.

"Do you honestly think that I would lie about something like this?" he demanded, "I still have my pride and I would hardly throw that away if I was to die anyway."

Pein smirked, seemingly pleased with this response.

"Very well, let us begin."

* * *

**_Woohoo! Plot! :D So what do you guys think of Obito? Too emotional or lacking? Uncharacteristic or alright? I've never written Obito before so feedback on him is welcomed! :) This is now officially my longest story by one chapter! :3 Unfortunately I'm having a bit of a mental block with Time Reversal no Jutsu...I know where the story is going, I'm just not sure on how to get there!  
_****_Anyway, reveiw my lovelies! :) I'll try to upload another chapter next week!_**


	24. Chapter 24

_******Hey again everyone. I feel like utter crap...everything aches :/ On the bright side, I have a new chapter for you all :) Hope you all enjoy it, for those who haven't given up after the ridiculously long wait!**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
**_

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_The young boy awoke, lying in a warm cosy bed. Glancing around, he found he was resting in his own bed, in his room with all its various sculptures, toys and books. Bolting upright, he looked around, remembering the horrible nightmare he had had. Tears gleamed in his sapphire orbs as he scurried out of bed to find his mother or Aiko._

_Wrenching his door open, he hurried into his parents' room, but found it empty. A frown etched itself onto his little childish face as he hurried to his sister's room. Finding it equally empty, his heart began to hammer in his chest. _

"_M-mother? Aiko un?" he called with clicks and chirps, running through the house, searching every room. They were completely empty, no sounds, no presence, no comforting warmth. Tears began to well up in his eyes as he looked cautiously towards the last room in the house that he hadn't checked. His father's study._

_Slowly, he stepped closer to the door, a shaking hand reaching up to the door. He knocked on it a few times, his mouth dry. After a few moments which felt like an eternity, the door opened, revealing his father. He looked down at his son, with tired, bloodshot eyes surrounded by dark circles._

"_F-father un," Deidara chirped, "Wh-where is m-m-mother-_

"_Dead," his father whistled in reply, kneeling down to the blonde child's level, "Both of them. Everyone is dead."_

_Blue eyes widened and petal soft lips quivered. The little child fell to his knees, releasing a pained cry and weeping before the older man. His father sighed, running a hand through his own greying hair, before picking up the child and hugging him tight._

"_Deidara," he chirped quietly, "She told you to be strong now. It is just you and I. Men do not cry child."_

_Deidara nodded, ears crushing against his skull as his father set him down gently, looking him in the eye. The little blonde had never realised that his father was capable of comforting him, but he felt slightly better, not being as alone as he had believed._

"_Now Deidara," his father whistled and clicked, "I need your help with something important. Will you help me?"_

_The child wiped away his tears and sniffled, before staring at the floor, feeling his father place his large hands on his small shoulders._

"_U-un," he chirped. What more did he have to lose after all?_

* * *

Deidara awoke with a startled chirp from yet another regained memory, which usually turned into nightmares. Most of them involved his father and several other men that he didn't know. They usually were teaching him things, such as mathematics, the human English language, geography and what was more disturbing, bomb making, dissembling and disarming.

He decided against telling anyone about the newly regained knowledge, preferring to allow everyone to focus on the plan to rescue the Sonda Rin. Itachi had especially been run ragged during the whole situation, due to the fact that the would be assassin of Deidara had been his own kin.

Sasori had noticed that his blonde was becoming increasingly quiet. These days it was harder to get so much as an occasional chirp out of him. It pained the redhead to see his Sonda partner this way, stuck in his own thoughts, suffering in silence.

"Yo shorty, I asked you a fucking question!" Hidan called, waving a hand in front of his teammate's face. Sasori snapped out of his thoughts, to glance up at his comrades, all seated around a table in the cafeteria.

"Jeez, it's fucking bad enough with Blondie acting like a fucking zombie without you too!" Hidan sighed, slumping back in his chair, unconsciously leaning towards Kakuzu, "Damn we're really falling apart huh?"

Sasori shook his head, resting his chin in his palm.

"I'm sorry Hidan, I've just had a lot on my mind," he murmured, "I'm sure once this is over, we can get back to the way things were."

Hidan scowled.

"Not fucking likely," he muttered irritably, "Zetsu's fucking distressed and hasn't come out of his room since we told him about fucking Tobi, Kisame and Itachi are attached at the hip and barely talk to us anymore and you and Blondie are fucking depressed again."

Sasori felt a stab of guilt, realising that he was forgetting about Hidan's relationships with the team which had been added to and ripped apart over the last couple of months. It didn't affect Sasori as much as it would have Hidan, who had known the team inside and out before all of this happened.

"I apologise," the redhead murmured, "We'll all pull through though. We always do."

Hidan shot a wide grin at the pilot, although now Sasori was beginning to question how genuine it was.

"That we fucking do!" Hidan stated, "And don't fucking apologise shorty! It's a sign of weakness!"

Sasori raised an eyebrow, but gave a tiny smile none the less before rising from the table with the excuse of going to find Deidara. The blonde had been holing himself up in their room for the past three days complaining of headaches, due to the regaining of his memories.

Of course, Sasori wasn't too concerned, since this was to be expected. What he was worried about however, was the lack of sleep that he, Deidara and Hidan were getting due to nightmares that plagued the blonde Sonda. He knew he was utterly exhausted and dark circles were making themselves present around Hidan's violet orbs. Poor Deidara was worse since he forced himself to stay awake at night until Sasori shouted at him for it, almost reducing the teenager to tears, from the emotional turmoil that everyone was feeling.

With tensions running high, it would be a relief when Kisame finally announced that they were able to make a move on Rin.

"Do you think this plan will work?" Itachi asked quietly, "What if we are spotted?"

Kisame shook his head, placing a hand on the raven haired Sonda's slender shoulder.

"Don't worry about a thing," he said with a friendly, if somewhat tired smile, "We're not sticking around. It will literally be, fly in, attack the building, grab Rin and fly out. Easy as pie!"

"Pie has little to do with this Kisame, and it will hardly be so simple," Itachi murmured dryly, "This is a top leading military weapons developer. They are bound to have the best security ever seen."

Kisame chuckled a little, waving his concern away.

"I know that Itachi, but I'm attempting this thing called optimism," he joked teasingly, "You should try it sometime; I bet it would look good on you!"

Itachi whistled a little, following the blue skinned human down the halls of the ship, blushing a little. Of course, Kisame didn't notice. He was too busy trying to think of how to help Zetsu.

The guy (guys?) had been distraught upon the discovery of Tobi's true identity. He needed to convince the man to meet with Obito and have him explain. He knew of his subordinate's feelings for the chipper, happy go lucky kid before. But to discover that Tobi was a Sonda with a _wife_ was crueller than if he had simply been hiding his identity.

"Itachi," Kisame murmured, causing the raven to turn around, ears twitching with curiosity, "What should we do about Zetsu? He's a mess."

Itachi frowned, ears flickering as he pondered the question.

"We? Zetsu is part of your team is he not?" the Sonda murmured, a tiny smirk on his face. Kisame shot him a grin.

"You are my partner!" he chuckled, "It's been 'we' for a while, you should know that! Besides, you're clever, so of course I'd ask your opinion."

"Hmm, well, the best thing to do is simply speak with Zetsu and give him some time to gain answers from Obito," Itachi replied, unable to hide the light blush this time, "While we are on this mission would be a good time. No one can interfere and he'll have plenty of time to himself."

"Damn, can't argue with that!" Kisame chuckled, slapping his partner's shoulder in a friendly manner, "Right, so we need to go find the team and get ready. It's gonna be a long trip. But I am looking forward to seeing home!"

"What un?! We're going to earth?" Deidara exclaimed, surprising everyone, since the blonde usually stayed quiet during debriefs. Pein and Kisame nodded simultaneously, though one sported an amused smirk.

"Yep, but this isn't for a jolly kid, we have work to do," Kisame reminded him, "Sorry, maybe next time, you can have some fun."

Deidara blushed crimson when the captain winked at him and Sasori, before turning back to the whole room.

"This mission is of the utmost importance," Pein announced, "This is a hostage situation so you must exercise caution at all times. You are also in completely hostile territory, so be careful and watch each other's backs."

"What's new?" Sasori whispered to Hidan, drawing a small snicker.

"You leave tomorrow, be ready. Dismissed."

The team walked out of the briefing room, some in high spirits, and others in apprehension.

Kisame was a mixture of both. He was pleased to be returning home, even if it was for unfortunate reasons; however he still needed to speak to Zetsu before he left. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and walked towards the soldier's room.

"Where are you going?"

Glancing around, the blue captain saw his partner walking towards him.

"I'm going to talk to Zetsu," he replied quietly, "I have to before we leave so I figured, no time like the present!"

Itachi cocked his head to the side slightly, blinking his feline eyes and flickering his ears. Kisame was struck by how amazingly adorable he truly was. The slight expression of inquisition on his face gave him a striking innocence and youth that Kisame knew had been tarnished by war. His heart seemed to skip a beat, causing the human captain to break from his stupor and realise he had been staring.

"Eh…let's go then," he said quickly, turning on his heel and walking briskly towards his teammate's room. Itachi frowned a little at the strange behaviour but mentally shrugged it off and followed the blue human down the corridor, towards what he knew was going to be an extremely awkward and challenging conversation.

* * *

"I can't believe we get to go back home!" Hidan exclaimed excitedly, "I can't fucking wait!"

Sasori nodded eagerly as he set his rucksack on his bunk and began to unload it, in favour of repacking from scratch. Deidara mirrored his actions with his own rucksack, humming a quiet tune to himself as he worked.

"I mean yeah sure, it's for a fucking mission but it'll be fucking amazing to be able to breath fresh air for once!" Hidan continued, with a gleeful smile etched on his face, "I'm fucking sick of those damn oxygen masks!"

"I know," Sasori mused, "It'll be a nice change. And you'll get to see a few examples of art brat; just the beginning of my proof to art's eternal values."

"Danna, art is _fleeting _un," Deidara stressed, "Transient and beautiful! If art was eternal, people would lose interest and it wouldn't be considered precious!"

"But eternity is perfection!" Sasori argued, "Fleeting things are lost forever and people immediately lose interest in something that won't last!"

Hidan rolled his eyes with a small chuckle as the two artists fought verbally, while packing their rucksacks. Figuring that he should do something useful, he left his bickering roommates behind to go in search of his own partner, who he found discussing ship maintenance with a fellow engineer.

"Hey Kakuzu!" he called, jogging over and almost immediately gaining the stitched up Sonda's attention, just the way he liked it, "Looking forward to seeing my fucking home planet?"

Kakuzu rolled his eyes at the human's enthusiasm but nodded all the same.

"It will be interesting to go there I suppose," he agreed. Hidan nodded in agreement, beginning to plague the Sonda with questions about what he wanted to do on earth.

"We are going on a mission Hidan, not a tourist trip," he growled, knowing how carried away his human got. The Jashinist waved him away with a smirk.

"Aww c'mon, sure we'll have a little while of free time!" he exclaimed, "I could take you to a Temple of Jashin!"

"I would much rather use our 'free time' as you call it preparing for the mission so that neither of us gets killed," Kakuzu drawled in reply. Hidan chuckled playfully, punching the older male on the shoulder.

"I knew you fucking cared about me Kuzu!" he chortled, earning a smack.

"Kuzu?" the Sonda demanded, encouraging more laughter from his partner.

"Yeah! I have fucking nicknames for everyone!" Hidan explained, eyes sparkling, "Sasori is Shorty, Deidara is Blondie, Itachi is Weasel and you are now Kuzu!"

"I suppose it sounds better than 'Stitch Bitch'," he mused out loud. Hidan raised an eyebrow.

"When did I call you that?" he asked curiously, "Although I fucking like that one too!"

"I will kill you," Kakuzu threatened, earning gleeful laughter.

"You love me too much!" Hidan teased, running off towards his room, Kakuzu giving chase, threatening him with a wrench.

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**_Hurray! More plot! :3 Sorry I have to do this to Zetsu but it's important. And they're headed for earth now! :D We'll see how things fair for our little team once they're away from the safety of the rebel camp and on a hostile planet! ^o^_**

**_School has been nasty to me, with essays and homeworks and choir rehersals but hopefully I'll have more time soon enough with the christmas holidays coming closer and all! :) And my best friend Jessica bought me a Tobi plushie for my car! :D He sticks to the windscreen!lol_**

**_Pretty please review! Reviews are love!_**


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